Murder trial hears that woman with Alzheimer’s was not at end of life
MONTREAL — Jocelyne Lizotte’s Alzheimer’s disease left her unable to care for herself, but she was not considered to be at the end of life before she was allegedly murdered, a physician testified Wednesday at the trial of Lizotte’s husband.
Dr. Micheline Pelletier told Michel Cadotte’s jury trial that by the time Lizotte arrived at the Emilie-Gamelin long-term care facility in January 2014, her Alzheimer’s disease was at an advanced stage. She had been diagnosed with early dementia at age 49.
She could not speak, recognize her loved ones or perform day-to-day tasks and was essentially cut off from reality, Pelletier explained: “She wasn’t able to take care of herself.”
Cadotte, 57, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife of 19 years, accused of suffocating her with a pillow in her room in February 2017. The Crown alleges he was unable to handle his wife’s deteriorating health.