Warning: This story contains graphic details. Discretion is advised.

A Toronto judge told a man who attacked his mother with a knife, leaving her to die in the woods at King’s Mill Park five years ago, that the manner in which he killed her made his crime worse.

“Though it has been years since this awful event … some wounds will never go away. I am afraid that the one Mr. Hatcher caused is such a wound. The grief and fear have continued to this day,” Superior Court Justice Sean Nakatsuru said in delivering his sentence to Colin Hatcher.

The judge found Colin guilty in April of second-degree murder in the death of his mother, Kathleen Hatcher.

Kathleen was found in a wooded area in King’s Mill Park on Feb. 26, 2021, just before 11 a.m. by a pedestrian who heard a woman screaming for help. She was lying face down in the snow after being repeatedly stabbed. The 69-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nakatsuru sentenced Hatcher to life in prison with a parole ineligibility period of 11 years, saying his actions were directly connected to the fact she was his mother.

“Your mother who gave birth to you, nursed you, cared for you when you were a child, encouraged and supported you even during the rough patches of your teens, took pride and joy in your accomplishments, and never turned her back on you when you became ill and a danger to her and the family — she trusted you. Even when there was reason not to. You betrayed her trust,” Nakaksuru said.

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The judge told court that the murder of a beloved mother is an aggravating factor, but recognized that the most mitigating factor is the fact that Colin was suffering from schizophrenia at the time.

Assistant Crown attorneys Paul Zambonini and Maruna Birsan argued that the murder was planned and deliberate and should be considered in sentencing, saying an appropriate period of parole ineligibility would be 15 years or more.

The judge said he did not agree with those submissions, saying that while Colin did not meet the test for  being not criminally responsible (NCR) due to a mental disorder, his serious mental illness played a very big role in this crime.

As a result, Nakatsuru found that the son’s moral culpability is diminished.

The court heard that Colin had been involuntarily hospitalized in 2018, roughly three years before the murder, after threatening to kill both his parents. After being medicated and spending two weeks in hospital, he was released back into the community despite concerns from his mother that he wouldn’t comply.

At trial, the court heard that Kathleen became increasing worried that her son wasn’t taking his anti-psychotic medication, believed he was paranoid and delusional and feared being alone with him. A family physician who treated Colin also testified he agreed to wean him off his medicine a year before the murder.

At the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Laura Hatcher, Colin’s sister, said in her victim impact statement that she is concerned about what could happen to her brother if his treatment and monitoring fail while in prison.

“Colin has deep-seated paranoia about his family, and during the trial I learned that despite treatment while in detention, he still believes that the pact to kill his family is real,” said Laura.

Laura explained that she worries about how Colin might view her participation as a witness at the trial, and if he might act on it in the future.

“I am concerned about Colin’s compliance with treatment once he is on parole and what this could mean for my safety and that of my family,” she added.

“A lot of what I’m saying may sound like I am closing the door on Colin, but I am not,” Laura continued, saying she hopes he’s able to work on himself.

Colin, who did not testify at trial, was invited to give an elocution to the court Tuesday. He said he was very sorry and now accepts he has bad schizophrenia for which he’s being treated.

Nakatsuru told the court that rehabilitation and treatment are important principles at play.

“You now have taken medication. Are prepared to take injectables. And have claimed to have insight into your illness, something that is supported by others like your father. I am encouraged by what you say is your new insight and your taking of treatment,” the judge said.

The judge also acknowledged the family’s fear that continues to this day.

“Even while under treatment, you still have delusions about your family. Not only is that relevant to me, but I am also confident this will be carefully considered by the Parole Board in the future,” Nakatsuru said.

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