Former soldier who died with woman in N.S. was ‘broken’ from PTSD: friend
SPRINGHILL, N.S. — A former soldier who killed his girlfriend and then himself at their Nova Scotia home had been on multiple tours in Afghanistan and came back psychologically “broken” and struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, his family and friends said Friday.
The revelations came on the same day RCMP confirmed the deaths of 42-year-old Marc Poulin and 45-year-old Jennifer Lynne Semenec at a residence in Springhill were the result of a murder-suicide.
Both were from North Bay, Ont., and had recently moved to the Nova Scotia town. Their bodies were recovered from the small house on a dead end street on Tuesday following a suspicious fire at the home.
Shane MacDonald, a cousin and close friend of the former infantryman, said the family believes Poulin’s PTSD was “the critical factor” in his behaviour.