A psychiatrist has painted a disturbing picture of a teen who stabbed his younger brother to death, calling him a "psychopath" and describing the 19-year-old as a "smouldering volcano with steam coming out of the vents."

Ian Swayze told Ontario Superior Court yesterday of the teen's pattern of violent behaviour, including aggression with knives and fire, threats to bomb a school and kill other students, and deliberate destruction of public property.

These "explosions of anger" are not out of character, but rather "a cascade towards a terrible event . . . a path towards disaster," Dr. Swayze testified at the teen's sentencing hearing.

The young man was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2003 death of his 12-year-old brother, who was found in a basement crawl space in their east-end Toronto home with 71 wounds from stabbing, hacking and cutting. Another teen, now 18, was convicted of manslaughter for the crime.

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Neither can be named by law, as both were under the age of 18 at the time of the murder. The victim is known only as Johnathan.

They were found guilty in February, 2005, after their second trial (the first ended in a mistrial). This hearing will determine whether the teens will be sentenced as adults.

The pair sat quietly in the Toronto courtroom as Dr. Swayze, a court-appointed psychiatrist from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, outlined his psychiatric assessment. His conclusions were based on the 19-year-old's records and five hours of interviews between April and August of this year.

"[He] has anti-social, pro-criminal, psychopathic traits," Dr. Swayze said.

He told Mr. Justice David McCombs that the teen -- wearing glasses, a grey suit jacket, crisp white shirt and red pants -- showed no remorse and had a "cavalier disregard" for his actions. Dr. Swayze added that the teen is "angry with the world in general, that he's the perceived, or real, victim of injustices . . . "

The 19-year-old also scored high on psychological tests measuring anti-social behaviour and psychopathic characteristics, warranting the diagnosis of "psychopath," Dr. Swayze said.

"[He] is rampant with impulsivity. . . his ability to contain his behaviour is dismal," he told the court.

The teen has also had a pattern of alcohol abuse, the psychiatrist said, noting he had been drinking a bottle-and-a-half of wine around the time of the murder. He also told the court the teen struggled academically, and was frequently absent from school. Dr. Swayze also said the teen stole from his parents and was a pathological liar.

"Stories change depending on who's asking, and when they're asking," he said.

However, Dr. Swayze said the teen's behaviour in custody has improved. But, he told the court, it was mainly due to the strict rules and contained environment.

"If he had access to the community, he would be expressing those behaviours," he said, and recommended therapy, detention and close supervision.

The hearing continues today.