'I did not intend to kill her': Joel Clow told police he was going through drug withdrawal
A transcript of an RCMP interview with Joel Clow was introduced in P.E.I. Supreme Court Wednesday in which he told police he didn't intend to kill Traci Lynch.
Clow is on trial for first-degree murder in the death of Lynch on July 24, 2015, in Pleasant Grove, P.E.I. He has pleaded not guilty.
RCMP officer Sgt. Kent MacKay questioned Clow for close to two hours at RCMP Kings District headquarters in Montague, P.E.I., on July 25, 2015.
In the 84-page transcript MacKay asked Clow what happened in the early hours the day before.
"I know you're trying to figure it out, man, but … I'm going through withdrawals, and I just don't, I can't even put it together," said Clow.
Clow told police about drug use
During the interview, Clow told MacKay he had been high on cocaine, speed and alcohol for months, often going five to six days at a time without sleep.
Clow also told MacKay he had stopped taking his medicine prescribed for mental health problems, including bipolar disorder, ADHD and depression and had been having hallucinations.
Clow told MacKay he and Lynch had been seeing each other for about nine months and that he began using methamphetamine after meeting her.
'I was in a rage at that time'
In the interview, Clow said he and Lynch got into an argument that night and when she ran across the road to a neighbour's house, he followed her and they had a violent struggle.
Clow told MacKay he didn't remember hitting Lynch or choking her.
When asked how he would explain her injuries, Clow suggested she may have slipped, fallen and hit her head.
When MacKay pushed him further, Clow said he didn't recall, adding "I was in a rage at that time."
'I had no intent in killing her'
He told the officer he remembers going to get water to wash Lynch's wounds and a blanket, intending to bring her into his house.
Clow also told police that once he realized she was dead, he intended to kill himself, but passed out in his bed instead.
When MacKay asked whether Clow killed Lynch, Clow replied "Well, I must've! She's not alive. Right?"
"What I need to know Joel, is whether your intent was to kill her," said MacKay.
"I had no intent in killing her at any time," Clow replied.
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