Psychiatrist says suspect in slaying of bylaw officer was 'actively psychotic'

Trevor Kloschinsky sits in the prisoner's docket in this artist's sketch at his first-degree murder in Calgary on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. (Janice Fletcher / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

CALGARY -- A psychiatrist says a dog breeder was "actively psychotic" and probably didn't realize he was doing anything wrong when he killed a bylaw officer who was investigating an animal complaint.

Trevor Kloschinsky is charged with first-degree murder in the 2012 death of Rod Lazenby, a retired RCMP officer who was responsible for enforcing bylaws in the Municipal District of Foothills near Calgary.

Kloschinsky's lawyer has said she plans to argue her client was not criminally responsible and forensic psychiatrist Dr. Sergio Santana took the witness stand at the trial Tuesday.

"He displayed a delusional system that he was being persecuted by a number of agencies and it had been going on for some time," Santana testified. "He developed the idea that his victim planned to destroy him financially ... that Lazenby was a corrupt police officer."

Lazenby died after going to Kloschinsky's property near Priddis on Aug. 10, 2012. Kloschinsky eked out a living selling blue heeler dogs he raised there.

Court heard an autopsy found Lazenby was strangled and had 56 abrasions, contusions and lacerations to the face, head, neck, body and back. He also suffered numerous internal injuries.

Kloschinsky, 49, has admitted causing the death of Lazenby, 62. He acknowledged dropping the officer off, handcuffed and unconscious, at a southeast Calgary police station, where he told officers he had apprehended a "dog thief."

"I think he was aware that he felt he needed to arrest officer Lazenby," said Santana. "He was not aware that it was wrong.

"He maintained throughout he did not kill him and he was alive when he drove to the police station," the doctor said. "He said it was fabricated evidence by the RCMP. He said they were feeding me a lot of crap to make him look like a cop killer."

Santana said a psychiatric assessment took several months because Kloschinsky believed medical personnel "were plotting against him."

Kloschinsky has been on anti-psychotic drugs and is "much better now," although he continues to be delusional, Santana said. The symptoms are less frequent and not as intense.

RCMP Cpl. Kanwardeep Dehil, who interviewed Kloschinsky, told the court that police dealings with the suspect indicated that he tended to "over-exaggerate" when making complaints, but nothing more than that.

"There was nothing with regard to mental-health issues to my recollection," he said.

Dehil made several attempts to get Kloschinsky to discuss the day of the attack. Kloschinsky grew agitated, but refused to comment.

"I'd love to answer your questions," he said. "I am bound not to answer. The lawyer told me not to."

Kloschinsky did admit to stealing six pairs of handcuffs from a sex store to protect himself and his dogs. He was convinced there was a "posse" coming to steal his animals.

But when pressed about the use of handcuffs on Lazenby, he again refused to answer.

The Crown has concluded its case. Defence lawyer Maggie O'Shaughnessy told court she would not be calling Kloschinsky to the stand to testify on his own behalf.

Lazenby was an RCMP officer for 35 years and often worked undercover in Vancouver. He once bunked with child killer Clifford Olson and went after dangerous drug dealers on Vancouver's skid row. Lazenby joined the drug squad after he served as a military policeman.

He had retired in 2006 and moved to High River, Alta., to be closer to his daughter and her children. Several members of his family have attended the trial.