Doctor says he saw no warning signs after tapering antipsychotic before son killed his mother
Dr. Milan Atanackovic told a judge he did not observe red flags while reducing a patient’s antipsychotic medication months before the patient fatally stabbed his mother. The trial is examining criminal responsibility.
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By Torontoer Staff
A Toronto family physician told a judge he saw no warning signs while tapering a patient off an antipsychotic in the months before the patient killed his mother. Dr. Milan Atanackovic testified Monday at the first-degree murder trial of Colin Hatcher, who stabbed his 69-year-old mother, Kathleen, to death in King’s Mill Park in Etobicoke on Feb. 26, 2021.
There is no dispute that Colin Hatcher, now 42, killed his mother. The judge-alone trial is focused on whether he was not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder at the time of the killing.
Medication history and clinical decisions
Hatcher began seeing Atanackovic in January 2020 and immediately said he wanted to stop taking the antipsychotic Abilify. He told the doctor he had been on the medication for two years after an involuntary hospital admission following a psychotic episode in which he plotted to kill his father. At appointments Hatcher denied suicidal or homicidal thoughts, hallucinations and hearing voices.
Atanackovic said he tried to find a middle ground: reduce the medication while keeping the patient engaged in follow-up care. He lowered the dose in early 2020 and reduced it again two months later after Hatcher reported no recurrence of psychosis. The medication was discontinued around April 2020.
There is some recent concern about worsening symptoms because of the voicemail, however this has not reoccurred and no further events have been reported. We will proceed to discontinue his Abilify and keep a close eye on him. I am certain his parents will reach out to me if he worsens.
Dr. Milan Atanackovic, clinic notes, April 2020
Family concerns and clinical limits
Atanackovic testified that Hatcher’s parents remained in contact throughout treatment. In March 2020 Hatcher’s father, Tom, emailed to report family history of schizophrenia and to say he believed his son was not taking medication. The doctor said the patient had not volunteered that information in clinic.
Atanackovic told the court he was worried Hatcher was being guarded and not forthcoming, but that he had the patient’s permission to speak to family. He said he relied heavily on Hatcher’s subjective reporting because there is no laboratory test to confirm symptoms or honesty, which increased the need for close follow-up.
I tried to get whatever information I could from him, but he won’t volunteer what he won’t volunteer.
Dr. Milan Atanackovic
Atanackovic said he discussed the possibility of an involuntary psychiatric assessment with the family, but Tom Hatcher declined because of previous experience with the court process and because Colin had not made explicit threats. After the killing, the doctor wrote in his notes that the family’s conclusion at the time had been that there were no red flags and that Colin did not pose a threat to others.
Warnings, last contacts and the day before the killing
There were some troubling signs on file. In late March 2020 Hatcher left a voicemail at his mother’s workplace accusing her of being a drug addict. Atanackovic recorded concern about the voicemail but also noted it had not recurred by April 2020, and proceeded with the medication discontinuation.
In January 2021 Kathleen emailed Atanackovic to say she was worried her son remained paranoid and delusional and was not taking medication. When the doctor raised that email with Hatcher, Hatcher insisted the doctor stop discussing his care with his parents and asked that his mother’s email be removed from his record. The doctor removed the note, explaining to the court that it was third-party information rather than documentation from another medical provider and that refusing the request risked the patient leaving the clinic.
A copy of Kathleen’s email, printed on the clinic’s letterhead on Feb. 12, 2021, was later found in Hatcher’s apartment. The day before the killing, Hatcher attended the clinic while Atanackovic was on vacation to ask about a prescription. A staff member noted the interaction was brief, that Hatcher did not blink and that his pupils were the size of pinpricks. That observation was recorded and sent to the doctor.
There were no warning signs.
Dr. Milan Atanackovic, written in clinic notes after Hatcher’s arrest
Aftermath and trial context
Atanackovic told the court he was shocked when he learned of the killing. Asked to describe how he felt, he said simply: "Not good. Unpleasant. It was shocking." The Crown questioned clinical choices and family communication as part of establishing the timeline and whether Hatcher met the legal test for not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.
- Jan 2020: Hatcher begins seeing Dr. Atanackovic and requests to stop Abilify.
- March 2020: Father emails clinic expressing concerns; voicemail left at mother's workplace.
- April 2020: Abilify discontinued, clinic notes advise monitoring and reliance on family to report worsening.
- Jan 2021: Mother emails clinic expressing concerns about paranoia and medication non-adherence.
- Feb 26, 2021: Kathleen Hatcher killed in King’s Mill Park, Etobicoke.
The judge-alone trial will continue to examine the interactions between outpatient care, family reports and the patient’s symptoms in the lead-up to the killing. Testimony from treating clinicians, family members and forensic experts will shape the court’s finding on criminal responsibility.
Colin HatcherMilan AtanackovicEtobicokemental healthtrialAbilify
