Medical specialists took the stand on Monday at the Mark Dobson murder trial in Barrie.
The court heard testimony from the doctor who performed the autopsies on victims Mary Hepburn and Helen Dorrington, as well as a toxicologist, and the defence-appointed psychiatrist who has met with Dobson twice while he’s been in custody.
Dobson is charged with two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of the women at a Travelodge hotel in Barrie in 2012.
The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsies told the court both women had toxic doses of prescription drugs, including those to treat anxiety, depression, and type two diabetes, as well as traces of marijuana in their bloodstreams.
Court also heard the women died from sharp force trauma to the neck, but that the amount of drugs in their bloodstream would have likely killed them within hours.
The Crown says Mark Dobson knew killing the women was legally or morally wrong, but the defence argues that Dobson isn’t criminally responsible because he suffers from a psychiatric disorder.
Defence-appointed forensics psychiatrist Dr. Gary Chaimowitz testified that Dobson suffered from schizophrenia, delusional ideas, and hallucinations at the time of the incident, and continues to suffer from them today as well.
Chaimowitz also testified that Dobson’s father was also diagnosed with schizophrenia, and that Dobson himself was showing signs of schizophrenia as early as when he was a teenager.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
