'Nothing but complete empathy': Thomas Hamp's father addresses Sanche family at murder trial

The second-degree murder trial of Thomas Hamp is being adjourned until December so an expert witness central to the trial can testify.

After the Crown made its case earlier in the week, the trial was adjourned Thursday with one witness left for the defence — a psychiatric doctor who has previously assessed Hamp.

"We hate to delay things, but in our justice system we make sure we do things right," defence attorney Brian Pfefferle said outside Court of King's Bench. "And that's what this is about, making sure we do things right."

Thomas admits to fatally stabbing his girlfriend Emily Sanche on Feb. 20, 2022, but Pfefferle is arguing he should not be held criminally responsible because of mental illness.

Pfefferle says new evidence in the case came to light just one week ago. The court learned Wednesday that Thomas wrote a series of letters while in jail as a form of therapy. He wrote the letters to members of the Sanche family but sent them to his parents’ home.

Police intercepted some of these letters and Thomas' parents willingly handed over others after realizing they could be used as evidence in the case.

In one instance, Thomas told his parents not to open the letters. In one letter to Catherine Sanche, a cousin and best friend of Sanche, Thomas wrote about his escalating psychosis in the fall of 2021 leading up to the attack.

"I did not believe it at the time, but I now think this paranoia and ensuing psychosis were caused by the weed I was smoking," he wrote.

• Get Saskatoon's top stories delivered to your inbox every weekday morning

"Needless to say, I have quit for good."

Since these new letters arrived months after Thomas' psychiatric assessment, the court is allowing the expert witness to review all relevant material before resuming the trial on Dec. 17.

"We have to roll with the punches. Sometimes the beauty of a judge alone trial as opposed to a jury is you get to run the case and can split it up," Pfefferle said.

"And sometimes you do. It's a lot more cost effective and certainly, there's more flexibility."

Following that testimony and written report, the Crown prosecution may wish to call more witnesses in rebuttal.

"The Crown will be reviewing the expert reports. Hopefully we receive it in a timely way. And based on that, [we] will make decisions on what witnesses we need to call, if any, in response," Crown prosecutor Cory Bliss said following Thursday's trial.

Thomas previously told the court he felt addicted to weed at the time and was smoking roughly three times a day. At Sanche's request, he stopped smoking two days before the attack.

Police officers first on the scene previously testified there was no smell of weed in the apartment.

During Thursday's trial Thomas' parents, Bryan and Sandi Hamp, testified. Bryan told the court he has "nothing but complete empathy" for the Sanche family.

"I hope that someday they will be able to heal," he said. "I'm not sure that they will be able to, but that's my hope."

• Get the CTV News app for Saskatchewan breaking news alerts and top stories 

During his testimony, Bryan detailed his son's increasing mental health concerns, as delusions and "false memories" became more apparent in the fall of 2021 and the winter of 2022, which included an account of what happened in the days leading up to the attack.

Bryan says he received a phone call from Sanche moments before the stabbing. No words were spoken, but he could hear murmuring on the other end of the line as his son screamed and yelled in the background.

He says he regrets not hanging up and calling 911 immediately. Instead, he yelled out to Sanche and wanted to keep her on the phone as long as possible.

"I didn't want to abandon her," Brian said.

Crown prosecutor Bliss asked him why he didn't rush to call 911.

"That's a good question," Brian replied.

Moments later the phone disconnected, and Brian called 911 before rushing over to the couple's Main Street apartment. When he arrived, he was met by police in the hallway. Paramedics were already treating Sanche's injury.

The court heard from Thomas on Wednesday. At the time, he was experiencing delusions, dominated by paranoia of a secret police that were attempting to discredit, kidnap, torture and kill him. He believed they placed recording devices in his home and were outside watching from the parking lot the night of the attack.

Thomas believed he was surrounded by pedophiles and that close friends were breaking into his apartment and rearranging items.

Over about five months as Thomas’ mental health worsened, Sanche kept most of the information between her and Thomas’ parents. She would occasionally update them on their son's health and leaned on them more often in the days before she was stabbed, the court heard.

Bryan Hamp says at no point did they tell Sanche's family about Thomas’ condition. Even though Sanche's brother and father are doctors, they complied with Sanche's wishes not to tell her family because "she didn't want her dad to keep a secret,” and "mom doesn't deal well with mental health," Bryan said during his testimony.

Bryan says he and his wife feared for Sanche's safety the day before the attack as the delusions were becoming more severe.

On Feb. 19, Sanche compiled a timeline of Hamp's condition, delusions and notable events starting from October of 2021 in preparation for a psychiatrist appointment in March.

That same day, Sanche told Bryan his son was becoming increasingly "agitated" and believed he was being watched.

In a group text between Sandi, Bryan and Sanche, they felt their only options by that stage were to get Hamp to an emergency room or call the police.

Bryan Hamp says he printed that document before 8 p.m. that night and packed a backpack so he could take Thomas to the hospital in the morning. Sanche was attacked hours later at roughly 2:30 a.m.