On November 13, 1991, Patricia Allen, a 31-year-old lawyer was murdered by her estranged husband, Colin McGregor, with a crossbow in the downtown of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
[4][3][9] During this time McGregor had bounced between jobs, working as a reporter in Halifax and Montreal and later as a media spokesperson for the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association and in the federal government.
[4] In the fall of 1990, when Allen was promoted to senior policy adviser on the Goods and Services Tax, McGregor later told a divorce lawyer that he felt a shift in their relationship at that time.
[4] He was convinced he was dying from a herpes infection, believing that swallowing a cold sore had triggered the dormant virus to spread throughout his body.
[4] He was admitted to the psychiatric ward for a week in the spring of 1991, and after his release his condition deteriorated and he stopped working his job at the National Defence.
[4][10][2] Towards the second week of September, McGregor was discharged from the psychiatric ward, and a close friend picked him up, where he proceeded to live for a short period.
[4] He would frequently call his friends, and ramble on a variety of topics such as suicide, his recent separation, his ailments and how this situation was unfair.
[3] Leading up to the murder, the former couple had met up a number of times to divide their possessions as the divorce continued to the final steps.
[4][2][6] McGregor immediately admitted to his actions, stating he attempted to kill her in an interrogation room, 45 minutes after the attack took place.
[4][6] He went on to make a full confession, stating he deliberately made the decision to kill his wife as she had kicked him out of their home, when he needed her the most.
[7][12][3] After being charged with first degree murder and making an initial appearance in court, McGregor was sent to the Royal Ottawa Hospital for a 30-day psychiatric assessment.
[2] Additionally, while incarcerated, he edited and wrote an online blog and magazine named The Social Eyes,[15] cowrote a couple books with Raymond Viger, such as the Quebec Suicide Prevention Handbook.
[7] By 1996, it had raised over 220,000 Canadian dollars, to fund scholarships for graduate students that are conducting research in areas related to spousal violence.