Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Accused killer has history of mental illness
Charged in wife's slaying
A Portage la Prairie man accused of killing his wife has a history of mental illness.
Kenneth Edward McDougall, 54, was charged with first-degree murder after his wife collapsed in their home last Wednesday. Medical officials tried CPR to rouse the woman, but to no avail.
Justina Shteen Unrau McDougall, 47, died in hospital three days later.
Medical officials were doing an autopsy Monday to determine her cause of death.
"My sister was a very loving person who had hundreds of friends," said Helen Unrau, Justina McDougall's sister.
"She will be dearly missed."
Helen Unrau said Kenneth McDougall had schizophrenia and had been committed to a care institution after an earlier incident involving his wife.
Unrau said the earlier event made her fear something might again happen to her sister.
Her brother-in-law was a "gentle man" but had stopped taking medication, which she thinks was a mistake.
"She was also the victim at that time but she took him back. He was supposed to be cured," she said.
"He used to be a very loving husband and father."
Police originally charged Kenneth McDougall with attempted murder but upgraded that to first-degree murder after his wife's death. A charge of first-degree murder often means police believe the killing was planned and not spontaneous or accidental.
The couple have a 22-year-old daughter, Stephanie, and a 16-year-old daughter, Victoria. The two were in Winnipeg on Monday.
"They're doing very well. We're just going through pictures and reminiscing," said Unrau.
Stephanie McDougall was recently featured in a 2008 Portage la Prairie newspaper article about an eight-month volunteer program that took her across Canada. It was the first time Stephanie had left the province and taken an airplane.
"We miss her, but we're happy that she's happy there," Justina McDougall told the local newspaper at the time. "It's quite a thing really, to get to travel and experience different communities; I'm kind of jealous, actually."
A relative of Kenneth McDougall confirmed his history of mental illness.
The McDougall family said they were devastated by the death and had not been in contact with Kenneth McDougall since the time of his arrest.
"We're so traumatized it's unbelievable," said a relative of McDougall's, choking back sobs.
gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 26, 2010 A5
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