Saskatoon man killed partner out of concern of dropping custody of youngsters, psychiatrist testifies

SASKATOON – A murder trial took place on Wednesday. A psychiatrist testified that the murder was fueled by the couple’s relationship problems.

Blake Schreiner testified that he heard voices asking him to kill his partner, Tammy Brown, on January 29, 2019.

The psychiatrist Olajide Adelugba, a witness named by the Crown, denied Schreiner’s testimony.

“I asked him if he heard voices at the time and he said no,” Adelugba testified, referring to his assessments with Carpenter in March at North Battleford Saskatchewan Hospital.

“He wanted to do it and he acted on it.”

Adelugba said Schreiner told him the couple had relationship problems and were considering separating.

The psychiatrist said Schreiner feared Brown would take her two children with him and believed “if he couldn’t be part of the children’s lives, neither could she.”

“He thought of killing her for 15 minutes and carried on,” Adelugba told the court.

Brown was found with 80 stab wounds all over his body.

Schreiner testified that he believed Brown tried to kill him or accuse him of pedophilia.

“He never told me he thought Tammy was going to try to kill him,” Adelugba said.

The Crown asked the witness what factors played a role on the night of the murder.

“His thoughts of separation, marital problems,” and thoughts his spouse would take away from their children, Adelugba replied.

Earlier this week, psychiatrist Mansfield Mela testified that he had diagnosed Schreiner with a personality disorder of the schizophrenia type.

Adelugba disagreed with this diagnosis.

“He doesn’t have a schizotypical personality disorder. That’s my conclusion, ”Adelugba said in court. He said Schreiner did not meet the criteria for psychotic disorder.

Adelugba diagnosed Schreiner with an alcohol-related mood disorder, cannabis use disorder and anxiety-related panic attacks.

According to Adelugba’s assessment, Schreiner was not delusional at the time of the murder.

The defendant changed his story about Brown’s death five times, the Crown said in court.

Schreiner first told a 911 driver that someone broke in and killed Brown.

He later told police that he killed Brown because Brown would mark him as a pedophile.

Schreiner said Adelugba custody disputes led to the murder.

In his first interview with Mela, he said he was under the influence of magic mushrooms on the night of death.

In his second interview with Mela, he said he was sober on the night of the murder.

The Crown argues Schreiner planned Brown’s murder while the defense is trying to determine Schreiner’s state of mind, which made him unable to appreciate his actions.

The process is expected to continue throughout the week.