Doctor told court there were 'no warning signs' after patient stopped antipsychotic before killing his mother
At trial, Dr. Milan Atanackovic described tapering Colin Hatcher off Abilify in 2020 and said follow-up visits showed no clear signs of relapse before the 2021 killing.
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By Torontoer Staff
A Toronto family doctor told a judge he saw no warning signs after a patient stopped taking an antipsychotic, testimony that formed part of the first-degree murder trial of Colin Hatcher. Hatcher, 42, admitted to killing his 69-year-old mother, Kathleen, in King’s Mill Park in Etobicoke on Feb. 26, 2021; the judge-alone trial is focused on whether Hatcher was not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.
Dr. Milan Atanackovic, who began treating Hatcher in January 2020, said he agreed to reduce and then stop the antipsychotic Abilify after the patient asked to come off the medication. Atanackovic told the court he did so while trying to keep Hatcher engaged in follow-up care.
How the medication change unfolded
Hatcher told Atanackovic at their first appointment that he had been on Abilify for two years after an involuntary hospital admission following a psychotic episode. He denied suicidal or homicidal thoughts and said he was not experiencing hallucinations or hearing voices. The doctor lowered the dose initially, and two months later the dose was reduced again after Hatcher reported no symptoms.
Around April 2020 Atanackovic discontinued Abilify, even though he had learned the previous month that Hatcher left a voicemail at his mother’s workplace accusing her of being a drug addict who took advantage of others. In his notes after the April appointment the doctor recorded: "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."
Family concerns and the limits of clinical assessment
Atanackovic said Hatcher’s parents stayed in contact during treatment. His father, Tom, emailed the clinic in March 2020 to say Hatcher had a brother with schizophrenia, that Hatcher had accused a previous doctor of something and had once called 911, and that he believed his son was not taking medication.
This is all new to me, the patient has not brought any of this up.
Dr. Milan Atanackovic, clinic note
Under cross-examination, Atanackovic described being concerned Hatcher was guarded and not forthcoming. He said that increased the need for closer follow-up, because mental-health assessment depends largely on what patients report. "I tried to get whatever information I could from him, but he won’t volunteer what he won’t volunteer," the doctor testified.
Atanackovic also told the court he discussed involuntary psychiatric assessment with Tom Hatcher, but the father said he would not pursue that step because he had been through it before and did not think it would succeed without explicit threats. After the killing, Atanackovic recorded that the family had concluded "there were no red flags, and he did not pose a threat to anyone."
Notes, emails and the day before the killing
Kathleen Hatcher emailed the doctor in January 2021 saying she was worried her son remained paranoid and delusional and was not taking medication. At a later appointment, Hatcher insisted Atanackovic stop speaking with his parents and asked that his mother’s email be removed from his record. The doctor said he complied because the email was third-party information and he feared refusing might drive the patient away from care.
A copy of Kathleen’s email, printed on clinic letterhead and dated Feb. 12, 2021, was found in Hatcher’s apartment after the killing. The day before the homicide, Hatcher visited the clinic while Atanackovic was on vacation to ask about a prescription. The assistant who saw him wrote that he did not blink during the interaction and that his pupils were "the size of pinpricks." She sent a note to the doctor.
- Jan. 2020: Hatcher begins seeing Dr. Atanackovic and requests to stop Abilify.
- March 2020: Father emails clinic expressing concern; voicemail incident at mother's work.
- April 2020: Abilify discontinued, with plan for close monitoring.
- Jan. 2021: Mother emails doctor that she is worried her son is paranoid and not medicated.
- Feb. 25, 2021: Hatcher visits the clinic while the doctor is on vacation; assistant notes pinprick pupils.
- Feb. 26, 2021: Hatcher kills his mother in King’s Mill Park, Etobicoke.
Courtroom reaction and the doctor's reflection
In his March 2021 notes, written after learning of the arrest, Atanackovic recorded plainly, "There were no warning signs," referring to the follow-up appointments after medication was stopped. When asked in court how he felt about learning his patient had committed the killing, the doctor said, "Not good. Unpleasant. It was shocking."
The trial continues as the court considers medical and psychiatric evidence in deciding whether Hatcher was criminally responsible at the time of the killing.
The case underscores the challenges clinicians face when patients refuse or minimise symptoms, and the limits of relying on family reports and intermittent appointments to assess risk.
Colin Hatchermental healthtrialEtobicokeAbilify
