The Quebec cardiologist who was found not criminally responsible after admitting he stabbed his kids to death says he's "not a risk to anyone," and wants to return to medicine one day.
Guy Turcotte made the comments Thursday, in testimony before a mental health board at the Pinel Institute in Montreal where he is currently housed.
"Consenting to stay here meant to me that I was a risk to the public," Turcotte testified.
"I'm convinced that I'm not a risk to anyone."
In a sensational case that drew outrage in Quebec and across the country, Turcotte admitted to stabbing five-year-old Olivier and three-year-old Anne-Sophie to death in their beds.
During his trial, Turcotte told the court he could not remember killing the children, however, and denied any intent to cause their deaths.
A jury ultimately found Turcotte not criminally responsible for his son and daughter's 46 deadly stabbing wounds, determining that he was too distraught over the breakup of his marriage at the time.
Turcotte also said he hopes to have another relationship someday, maybe even more kids.
"Eventually -- and I don't know when -- I'd like a relationship," Turcotte said.
"I don't think it's a bad thing to have objectives."
Turcotte said he has no intention of contacting his ex-wife Isabelle Gaston.
However, Gaston says she is scared of him and believed her ex-husband to be a skilled manipulator.
"I fear he's going to come and attack me and off me," she told The Canadian Press.
She says, unlike her ex-husband, she is having difficulty moving on with her life after the loss of their children.
"I have trouble making it through the night," she said, choking up.
Turcotte has been undergoing therapy and he said if released, his family will take him in.
A five-member panel is weighing his testimony to determine whether he should be freed, released with conditions, or continue his psychiatric detention pending annual reviews of the case.
Their decision is expected at a later date.
The Crown, which had pressed two charges of first-degree murder against Turcotte, announced its intention to appeal the verdict in July. The Quebec Court of Appeal has yet to decide whether it will hear the case.
The findings of the review panel will not have any bearing on the court proceedings, however.
