Judge hears closing arguments in Saskatoon trial of man who stabbed partner to death [Video]

The case against accused murderer Thomas Hamp is closed and it’s now up to a Court of King’s Bench judge to decide which interpretation of events to agree with.

Prosecutor Cory Bliss and defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle made final arguments Wednesday before Justice Grant Currie at the 28-year-old’s judge-alone second-degree murder trial.

The issue is not whether Hamp fatally stabbed his partner Emily Sanche on Feb. 20, 2022 — he admitted that at trial.

Rather, the defence contends Hamp was in a mental health crisis that left him incapable of knowing that what he was doing was wrong.

“There’s only one explanation for why Thomas Hamp would have done this to Emily Sanche and it’s he was suffering from an acute psychotic episode where he was not in touch with reality,” Pfefferle said.

The Crown is suggesting that Hamp was in a drug-induced psychosis when he killed Sanche and then …