MONTREAL — A psychiatrist who assessed Luka Rocco Magnotta for criminal responsibility questioned him about alleged online postings promoting the video of Jun Lin’s death ahead of the slaying.
Dr. Joel Watts told Magnotta’s first-degree murder trial Wednesday the accused said he didn’t remember posting anything along those lines.
“I have been trying to make sense of it, I hope it was not me, I don’t remember doing it, it feels weird,” Watts quoted Magnotta as saying.
The response was noted in Watts’ 124-page report on Magnotta, who is standing trial on five charges.
Watts said he couldn’t recall where he heard about the information or whether it is part of the evidence in the case.
Magnotta, a native of Scarborough, Ont., has pleaded not guilty to the slaying and dismemberment of Lin in May 2012.
He admits having caused the death of the Chinese engineering student, but is arguing in favour of a mental disorder defence.
Watts and another psychiatrist have testified for the defence that Magnotta was psychotic the night of the killing and was incapable of telling right from wrong.
The Crown is arguing the crimes were planned and deliberate.
Watts said he believes Magnotta has a selective meory.
“When he says he can’t remember, I think that he would be able to remember if he put a little bit of effort into doing it,” he testified.
“At the same time, I recognize one of the reasons for his memory loss is that he voluntarily doesn’t want to access those memories because of what they represent and the distress they will cause him.”
Watts said Magnotta was unable to say if he was the one who chose the title (“One Lunatic, One Ice Pick”) attached to the video of Lin’s dismemberment. He did admit to frequenting gore websites
“I don’t remember doing it, I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me,” Magnotta told the forensic psychiatrist.
“Maybe I’ve been watching too many movies, maybe it was to scare people. I don’t know if I even did it (post the video).”