By Canadian Press

Lionel Desmond inquiry: soldier’s sister-in-law testifies about his mental decline

Jun 21, 2021 | 2:51 PM

PORT HAWKESBURY, N.S. — An inquiry investigating why a former Canadian soldier killed his family and himself in 2017 heard today that Lionel Desmond’s mental health appeared stable when he returned from serving in Afghanistan in 2007, but there was a dramatic decline over the next 10 years.

Shonda Borden, the younger sister of Desmond’s wife, Shanna, told the inquiry that she lived with the couple and their young daughter in Oromocto, N.B., between 2008 and 2012.

Borden said Desmond was a cheerful, fun-loving young man when she first met him when she was 16 years old, and she described his relationship with his wife as normal, even after his particularly violent tour of duty overseas.

The inquiry has heard Desmond was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2011 while still in the military, and he was medically discharged in 2015.

Borden says he complained about being a victim of anti-Black racism before he left the military, and she made it clear Desmond’s relationship with her sister started to deteriorate in 2012 and 2013, saying he would provoke arguments and become angry over petty disagreements.

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She went on to describe how Desmond became convinced her sister was cheating on him and became more controlling, particularly in 2015-16.

Borden also confirmed that the couple struggled to get him help for his worsening condition in 2016 after he returned home to Nova Scotia.

On Jan. 3, 2017, Desmond bought a rifle and later shot his 31-year-old wife, their 10-year-daughter Aaliyah, and his mother Brenda, 52, before killing himself in their home in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S.

In the months and years that followed, friends and relatives openly complained that Desmond’s attempts to seek help for PTSD led him nowhere.

The inquiry is examining whether Desmond had access to mental health and domestic violence services, and whether he should have been able to buy a rifle. It is also investigating whether the health care and social services providers he dealt with were trained to recognize occupational stress injuries or domestic violence.

The inquiry, which started hearings in January 2020, resumed Monday after a month-long break prompted by the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.

The Canadian Press