Judge finds Saskatoon man not criminally responsible in stabbing death of partner

Dan Zakreski · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 1:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

A Saskatoon justice ruled Thursday that Thomas Hamp was successful the throes of a psychotic interruption erstwhile helium fatally stabbed his spouse Emily Sanche successful 2022 and is not criminally liable for his actions.

Justice Grant Currie said helium accepted forensic psychiatrist Shabehram Lohrasbe's opinion connected Hamp's intelligence authorities astatine the clip of the stabbing.

"This leads maine to the decision that, erstwhile helium stabbed and killed Emily, Thomas apt was operating nether a intelligence upset that rendered him incapable of knowing that doing truthful was wrong," Currie wrote successful his 22-page determination astatine Court of King's Bench.

Hamp's judge-alone proceedings connected the complaint of second-degree execution began successful September 2024. From the start, the defence ne'er disputed that Hamp stabbed Sanche.

"This isn't going to beryllium a whodunit," lawyer Brian Pfefferle said connected the archetypal time of the trial. "There is simply a intelligence constituent that volition beryllium an issue."

Prosecutor Cory Bliss did not disagree that determination was a intelligence constituent astatine play. But alternatively of accepting that the then-25-year-old was suffering from "schizophrenic spectrum disorder," helium suggested that Hamp's heavy usage of cannabis to self-medicate his symptoms for obsessive compulsive upset led to him sidesplitting Sanche. This would mean Hamp was criminally liable for what happened.

• 'This isn't going to beryllium a whodunit': Defence concedes Thomas Hamp fatally stabbed Emily Sanche

• Psychiatric study says Saskatoon antheral 'acutely and severely psychotic' erstwhile helium fatally stabbed spouse successful 2022

Bliss work an agreed connection of facts into the grounds astatine the commencement of the trial.

"In the aboriginal greeting hours of Feb. 20, 2022, Thomas retrieved a room weapon from the acceptable of knives recovered wrong the suite," Bliss said.

"He stabbed Emily successful the precocious near thorax with that knife. In doing truthful the leaf broke and remained lodged successful Emily's body."

She died aboriginal successful hospital. Hamp had primitively been charged with aggravated assault.

According to the statement, Hamp primitively told a neighbour and constabulary that a antheral had breached into the third-floor flat and attacked the couple. He recanted that later, saying that helium stabbed Sanche and past himself.

WATCH | Man who fatally stabbed his spouse recovered not criminally liable for his actions: 

The insubstantial trail

Sanche was alert of Hamp's deteriorating intelligence information and kept cautious notes astir her efforts to get help. These notes proved captious to the psychiatric appraisal by Shabehram Lohrasbe, the forensic psychiatrist retained by defence.

Lohrasbe testified that helium met with Hamp doubly successful idiosyncratic and past again by video, for a full of 5 hours. He besides interviewed Hamp's parents and reviewed reports from his objective attraction for obsessive compulsive upset (OCD).

Lohrasbe besides reviewed elaborate notes and substance messages written by Sanche, who was studying for a master's grade successful counselling and expressed concerns astir her partner's deteriorating intelligence wellness successful the twelvemonth earlier helium killed her. Lohrasbe besides reviewed notes instrumentality by Sanche's cousin.

The notes included observations Sanche made hours earlier her death, aft the mates contacted the Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service. Hamp was expected to spell to the infirmary that day.

Lohrasbe said he's done thousands of assessments implicit his four-decade vocation and that the written records from the 2 young women "are incredibly important documents." He said Sanche's substance connection concatenation "is poignant, and truthful adjacent to the offence."

"I've ne'er seen thing similar it."

In his analysis, Lohrasbe said Hamp's worsening OCD symptoms and dense cannabis usage astir surely played a relation successful the psychotic episode, but "their precise imaginable roles cannot beryllium delineated."

Next step: the Saskatchewan Review Board

The determination by Justice Currie ends Hamp's travel done the transgression justness system. Pfefferle said the adjacent measurement is for his lawsuit to spell earlier the Saskatchewan Review Board. It decides what happens to individuals the tribunal finds not criminally responsible.

"It isn't astir punishment astatine all," helium said.

"It's singularly focused connected trying to find whether a idiosyncratic is harmless to beryllium released into the community. And erstwhile they're determined to beryllium safe, and conditions are formulated, past the idiosyncratic tin beryllium released."

In a written statement, Hamp's parents Bryan and Sandi thanked the justice for the finding.

"We, similar everyone who knew and loved Emily Sanche will everlastingly grieve her death," they wrote.

"Emily was a beautiful, honest, astute and caring person. We are grateful for Emily's emotion for our lad and the dedication she showed him."

Bliss said helium would beryllium consulting with his colleagues astatine Public Prosecutions connected whether the determination would beryllium appealed.