The latest round of testimony is underway at the Desmond Fatality Inquiry.
Lionel Desmond, a veteran of the Afghan war who was diagnosed with PTSD, killed his wife Shanna, their daughter, his mother and himself in their home in Upper Big Tracadie in Jan. 2017.
Shonda Borden, Shanna Desmond’s sister, took the stand Monday.
Borden told the inquiry about an instance where Desmond dreamed about his military service in Afghanistan.
“I guess he had a bad dream, and he grabbed her by the throat at this time,” she said. “She woke up and she was like ‘It’s ok, it’s just me- Lionel, Lionel it’s just me’ kind of thing, (and) he kind of snapped out of it.”
Borden said Desmond would often describe his encounters with racism while he served in the military, and his experience created stress and tension in his relationship with her sister.
She said she noticed frequent fluctuations in Desmond’s emotions after his military service.
“We used to call it his switch, you know?” she said. “One minute he’d be so happy, and the next minute the switch would turn off and he would lose it- it was like walking on eggshells at times.”
Testimony continues Tuesday morning.
The inquiry is expected to hear from Desmond’s Veteran’s Affairs case worker.