In letters to slain girlfriend's family, Thomas Hamp said he thinks weed caused his psychotic break
This story contains details that some readers may find disturbing
Thomas Hamp says he believed secret police were out to kidnap, torture, and kill him when he fatally stabbed his girlfriend Emily Sanche in February of 2022.
Hamp, 27, is accused of second-degree murder in Sanche's death and took the stand to testify at his Court of King's Bench trial Wednesday.
On Feb. 20, 2022, Hamp believed this secret police, who he believed were conspiring against him, would also torture and rape Sanche.
"Me killing the both of us was a more merciful way for us to die," Hamp said to his lawyer Wednesday.
Hamp said he was previously diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, but in October 2021 he began to experience delusions and intrusive thoughts that worsened leading up to the stabbing.
He began to believe he was surrounded by pedophiles and that people close to him were conspiring against him in an effort to help secret police that believed he was a predator. He became distrustful of many people close to him and associated the colour green with sexual predators.
The night of the stabbing, he told the court he was pacing around the third-floor apartment where he and Sanche lived. He was paranoid that secret police were waiting in the parking lot outside of the apartment and that recording devices were placed inside the home.
"I was frantic," Hamp said.
He told the court he doesn't remember grabbing the knife as his memory from that night comes and goes in flashes, but he remembers having the knife in the couple's bedroom in case he needed to fend off an intruder or take his life.
He says at one point Sanche came into the room, saw him holding the knife, and screamed. She then ran to the entranceway. Hamp said he doesn't remember stabbing Sanche, but remembers her falling and trying to kick him away.
"I remember seeing the broken handle of the knife," he told his defence lawyer.
Hamp then went to the bedroom, took out a Leatherman multi-tool, and stabbed himself in the chest and once again in the neck.
Prosecutor Cory Bliss presented letters Hamp wrote last year while in custody that his family later turned over to police. The letters were written to Emily's cousin, Catherine Sanche. In the letter, Hamp spoke about his escalating paranoia in October of 2021.
"I did not believe it at the time, but now I think this paranoia and ensuing psychosis were caused by the weed I was smoking," Hamp wrote.
Hamp told the court he began smoking weed once it was legalized in 2018. By 2021, he was smoking an average of three times a day. He admitted he felt addicted to the substance at the time.
Sanche asked him to stop smoking two days before the attack because she believed it was contributing to his psychosis. He complied.
Police who were first on the scene testified earlier in the week there was no smell of weed in the apartment suite the night Sanche was stabbed.
According to previous testimony, Sanche kept detailed notes of repeated trips to doctors, clinics, and hospitals in an attempt to help Hamp.
On Wednesday, Hamp admitted he wasn't entirely honest during some of those trips. He didn't inform doctors of all of his delusions and downplayed other symptoms, believing he was fine and not wanting to "waste their time."
He also believed taking his medication would brainwash him and would chemically castrate him.
At one point during Wednesday's trial, Hamp admitted to lying to Sanche and the crisis intervention phone line about feeling much better after taking his prescribed amount of medication each day when in fact he hadn't been taking it for weeks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Hurricane Milton strengthens into a Category 5 storm. Florida orders evacuations
Hurricane Milton strengthens into a Category 5 storm off Mexico and threatens Florida, forecasters say.
'Selfish billionaire': Chip Wilson's mansion vandalized after political sign erected outside
Days after a political sign was erected outside Chip Wilson's Vancouver mansion, the waterfront property has been vandalized with graffiti.
Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston's mother and a Grammy-winning singer, dies at 91
Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians like Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, has died. She was 91.
Two people injured in apparent road rage incident, shooting in Toronto
Two people are in hospital after they were chased and shot at in what appears to be an act of road rage before eventually flipping their car while trying to escape, police say.
Canadian soldier wins compensation for cancer linked to burn pits after Veterans Affairs denied claim
A Canadian soldier who was exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits while serving in Afghanistan has been awarded full medical compensation for testicular cancer after Veterans Affairs initially denied his claim.
Sammy Basso, longest living survivor of rare rapid-aging disease progeria, dies at 28
Sammy Basso, who was the longest living survivor of the rare genetic disease progeria, has died at the age of 28, the Italian Progeria Association said on Sunday.
A Canadian woman was recently diagnosed with scurvy. Here are the factors tied to the disease
Scurvy is not just an archaic diagnosis of 18th-century seafarers and doctors should watch for possible cases, according to researchers following a recent case.
Canadian leaders, demonstrators hold events on anniversary of Oct. 7 attack
Ceremonies, events and protests are being held across Canada today to mark the anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
Who will end the debate? Political gridlock continues in the House of Commons
Federal political parties appear to be locked in a game of chicken over a debate that has stalled almost all business in the House of Commons.