Lauren Dickason murder trial: Expert says accused did not kill children ‘out of love’

The murder trial of Lauren Dickason is now in its 13th day and the jury continues to hear evidence from psychiatric experts about the accused murderer’s state of mind leading up to the day she killed her three little girls.

Crown expert Dr Erik Monasterio told the court he does not believe Lauren Dickason had an “altruistic motive” for killing her three daughters.

The cross-examination of the consultant in forensic psychiatry supporting the state’s case against the 42-year-old doctor, continued on Wednesday in the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Lauren Dickason trial: Defence of insanity or infanticide

Monasterio became involved with the case in October 2021 when Dickason was sent for mental evaluation after her arrest, Stuff reported.

On Tuesday, Monasterio told the court that while Dickason suffered from depression since her teenage years, he did not agree that her mental illness was of such nature that it could serve in defence of insanity or infanticide.

Dickason has admitted to killing her daughters in September 2021, but pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and has mounted a defence of insanity or infanticide.

ALSO READ: Lauren Dickason murder trial: ‘No evidence’ of insanity, postpartum depression – expert

‘She did not kill them out of love’ − Crown expert

During Wednesday’s court proceedings, Dickason’s defence counsel Anne Toohey said the murder-accused indicated to other experts that she may have had an altruistic motive.

According to NZ Herald, Monasterio told Toohey that evidence presented to him during his evaluation sessions − which totalled nine hours − did not suggest that she killed her daughters out of love.

Toohey: “If she has killed her children out of love, doesn’t that mean at the time, she didn’t appreciate it was morally wrong?”

Monasterio: “That’s perhaps a matter you need to put to the other experts. The information before me suggests that she did not kill them out of love.”

Tragic triple murders

Dickason is accused of murdering six-year-old Liané and two-year-old twins Maya and Karla by strangling them with cable ties before smothering them to death on 16 September 2021.

The family immigrated from Pretoria to New Zealand in 2021 and had barely settled into their new home in Timaru, Canterbury, when the murders took place.

Dickason ‘systematically strangled’ girls

Monasterio told the court the murders were not likely to have been an impulsive act, the New Zealand Herald reported.

“She systematically strangled the children and seemingly methodically checked for vital signs before resorting to smothering them until they were dead.”

ALSO READ: Dickason murder trial: Court hears ‘alienated’ mom labelled murders ‘a package deal’

Dickason defence: ‘Altruistic’ motive for triple murders

On Friday, forensic and reproductive psychiatrist Dr Susan Hatters-Friedman gave evidence supporting the defence.

After assessing Dickason and her case, she concluded that there was a clear example of an altruistic motive − where a parent kills “out of love” rather than out of anger or hate.

She believed Dickason was “severely depressed and had developed psychotic thinking”.

Delusional beliefs of a ‘dangerous’ New Zealand

The court heard how Dickason held delusional beliefs of New Zealand being dangerous after arriving in 2021.

According to RNZ, Hatters-Friedman testified that this stemmed from feelings of being “overwhelmed and concerned” by the people she saw during a three-hour grocery shopping in Timaru.

“Her negative cognitions appeared to reach a delusional level, that is they had became fixed, false beliefs, inconsistent of others from her culture.

“She noted that her trips to Pak ‘n Save and taking the children to school revealed sad and uncared for children in New Zealand.”

The trial continues on Thursday.

• This report was compiled using information from New Zealand publications, Stuff, New Zealand Herald and RNZ.