Accused Richard Bain says he has no memory of election-night shooting

Richard Bain, dressed in a suit and tie, told the jury on Monday thathe hasno memory of the deadly shooting for which he stands accused of first-degree murder.

That claim came towards the end of Bain'sfirst day on the stand,testimony his lawyer hopes will help prove he should not be held criminallyresponsible for the death of a lighting technician on the night of the 2012 provincialelection.

Over the course of several hours, Bainexplained that in the years leading up to the shootinghe'd been taking anti-depressant medication that madeit difficult for him to tell right from wrong.

BainbegantakingCymbalta, aserotoninandnorepinephrinereuptakeinhibitor, after falling into what he called "a big depression." He described the drug as giving him a massive boost of energy. He said he hadenough "energy to sell."

But Bain also told the court the drug affected his behaviour and his moral compass.

"It gives you the energy to do what you want to do, right or wrong," he told the jury.

"Things come into my mind, and yah you do it ... it makes you not responsible."

• CBC's complete coverage of theRichard Bain murder trial

Bain is accused of shooting and killing Denis Blanchette outside Montreal's Metropolis concert hall, where the Parti Qubcois was celebrating its 2012 election victory.

He also faces three counts of attempted murder, an arson chargeand possession of an incendiary device. He has pleaded not guilty.

• RECAP | What we know so far about Quebec's deadly election-night shooting

Bainre-watchesTV footage

Before invitingBainto take the stand on Monday,defence lawyerAlanGuttmantold the jury:"I'm sure youcan all guess that our defence is going to be one of criminally not responsible."

In order to securea not criminally responsible (NCR) defence,Guttmanwill be referring toSection 16 of the Criminal Code of Canada, which states "no person is criminally responsible for an act committed ... whilesuffering from a mental disorder that rendered the personincapable of appreciating the nature and quality of the act" or of "knowing that it was wrong."

TV footage from the night of the shootingshowsBainwearing a bathrobe, being led away by police as he yells "the English are waking up!" in French.

Bainre-watched the footage on Monday, andadmitted it was him in the bathrobe, butsaid he had no memory of the incident.

"It's not the person that I know," he told the jury.

"It's totally out of character," he said, adding that he spent his whole life helping other people.

'Wine, champagne, strippers'

Bainbegan his testimony on Monday morning by swearingon hisown copy of the Bible.

He then proceeded to outline how he'd been "married" to his job at a factory in east-endMontreal, but said he struggled with depression and anxiety.

He told the jury that after taking the anti-depressantCymbalta he broke up with his girlfriend of 20 years.

He started going to strip clubs almost every night, running up bar tabs that reached as high as $800.

"The best of wine, champagne, strippers," Bain told the jury.

Bain also believed that the H1N1 virus would one day mutate, causing civil order to disintegrate.

As a result he stockpiled Cymbalta, along with guns, ammunition and food at his remote fishing lodge in La Conception, Que.

Even though his doctor later prescribed new medication, Bain said he went back to taking Cymbalta.

In the months before the fall 2012 provincial election, Bain said that business was so busy at his fishing lodge that he stopped going to nightclubs.

No memory of returning to the Metropolis

The jury has already heard that the afternoon before the shooting, Bain visitedhis sister-in-law at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal.

Bainprovided more details of that visit on Monday.

His sister-in-lawhadbeen waiting in hospital for a hysterectomy, Bain testified, but itkept getting postponed and she was suffering.

Though he was initially in a good mood on the day of the shooting,Bain testified that after hesaw his sick sister-in-law, depression came over "like a wave."

He told the jury that he remembersleaving the hospital, taking two doses of an anti-depressant, thendriving around the Metropolis three times.

He told the juryhe took six more doses of his medication while circling the Metropolis.

After that, though, Bain said thereare holes in his memory.

He said he must've drivenback to his cabin in La Conceptionto get his firearms. But he also said he can't recallgoing back home and has no memory of returningto the Metropolis later that night.

Bain will be back on the stand tomorrow.