Howard Richmond punched holes in walls in arguments with wife he killed, trial hears

Canadian soldierHoward Richmond punched holes in the walls of the home he shared with his wife as he was plagued by nightmares of war, he testified at his first-degree murder trial in her death.

Richmond saidhe was haunted byhis six military tours abroad butthat he didn't realize how much his suffering was taking a toll on his wife.

Richmond, 53,admitted at the outset of his trial before theOntario Superior Court ofJusticeinOttawa thathe killed 28-year-old Melissa Richmond in July 2013but he haspleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

The soldier's lawyers are arguing that Howard isn't criminally responsible because he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociativeflashbacks at the time from his tours of duty.

Much of Wednesday morning was spent combing through Howard's lengthy medical history after he was put on leave.

According to one doctor's note from December 2011, Howard was told it would take about 12 to 18 months to recover from his sixdeployments abroad. Court hadheard Tuesday that his time in Croatia in 1992 was particularly hard on him, and the doctor noted that about a third of his nightmares were related to his time there.

A second note from January 2012 noted that Howard was "tearful" and having a difficult time putting on his uniform. Howard testified that he had a panic attack trying to put the uniform on, and that he knew he had to see a doctor immediately.

'I couldn't even put on my uniform'

"A soldier's supposed to dig his heels in and do anything he's supposed to do," Howard testified."And I couldn't even put on my uniform."

Howard testified that his wife was "a rock" for him as he struggled with PTSD. He said he moved into the basement of the home he shared with his wife because it was quieter. He said he wascomforted by the single entry point to the basement.

"It was quieter there," Howard said. "There was only one way in, one way out."

But he said he twice punched holes in the walls of his home during arguments with his wife, Melissa.After he punched the wall the first time, Melissa laughed and went to get the couple's first-aid kit, Howard testified.

"I felt like an idiot," he told the court.

Flashbacks

The second incident also happened in the middle of an argument, whena truck outside slammed on its brakes and blasted its horn, he testified.

Howard told court that the next day, Melissa told him he had been punchingthe wall repeatedly, yelling "Let the girl go."

On Tuesday, Richmond testified he was haunted after witnessing ayoung girl, held captive in a man's arms, being shot dead in the chest in Croatia in 1992. He described how hewiped up some of her blood and said to a superior officer, "Look what we've done."

Howard said Wednesday that uniforms andloud noises as well as smells of popcorn, burning wood,burning garbage and "decay" would all cause flashbacks to his time in Croatia.

He also testifiedhe didn't know the extent to which his condition affected his wife.

"I didn't actually realize how much it was taking a toll on her," he told the court.

'Exposure therapy'

Melissa Richmond's body was found onJuly 28, 2013,in a deep ditch near the South Keys Shopping Centrein Ottawa's south end, four days after Howard reporting her missing to police.

Howard also testified Wednesday that he would routinely practice "exposure therapy" by visitingthe South Keys mall and putting himself in the presence of some of hisPTSDtriggers especially crowds and people "of Middle Eastern descent."

By May 2013, however, themall was "basically becoming a trigger in and of itself," and he could barely make it through a movie he saw there in July 2013, shortly before Melissa's death.

"[I felt] surrounded on all sides," Howard told court.

The trial resumes Friday at 9 a.m., with the defence planning to delve into what happened in the four days before Melissa Richmond's body was discovered.