Poulin's PTSD diagnosis extended back to his three tours of duty in Afghanistan, in particular a devastating roadside explosion that killed a close friend and left him with a brain trauma.

Shane MacDonald, a spokesperson for the Poulin family, says the family believes Marc Poulin's struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder was "the critical factor" behind what happened in Springhill.

Although Nova Scotia RCMP have not yet released the identities of the two people found dead in the home Tuesday afternoon, friends confirm that they were Marc Poulin, 42, and his fiancée, Jennifer Lynne Semenec, 45.