Just days before now 46 year-old Richard Kachkar stole a snow plow and killed Toronto Police Sgt Ryan Russell in January 2011, his behaviour had changed, court heard on Day 6 of his murder trial.

According to testimony, Kachkar had an appointment scheduled with employment counselor Nadine Janzen on Monday January 10th, 2011, two days before Russell was killed. Kachkar missed the appointment.

The previous week Kachkar met twice with Perry Bartley, who also worked at the centre.

Court heard that by the second meeting Kachkar's behavior had changed and he told Bartley he was "feeling a bit off" and he was concerned about his upcoming appointment, saying he had "a lot of stuff going on."

Bartley thought he was just a "lack of self-esteem."

Both Bartley and Janzen testified that in their dealings with Kachkar they noticed "nothing out of ordinary" and "nothing unusual."

What stood out was his tendency to be "overly gracious" and "overly apologetic" when the situation didn't call for it.

Kachkar first came to the employment centre in October of 2008, writing that he was laid off from his job as a driver for Krispy Kreme. On the same form filled out by Kachkar for the centre shows he worked as an office manager for three years ending in 2004 and left because of a "shortage of work."

Kachkar wrote that his highest level of education completed was "tool and die technician" in BC in 1996.

He came to the centre to enter a retraining program and was looking for work as a driver.

"I think I am a good driver," he wrote on the centre's form.

In July of 2009 Kachkar received a certification for completing Transport Training Centres of Canada's 4 piece heavy equipment operator program (backhoe, bulldozer, excavator, grader). He failed a test to obtain an AZ license around the same time.

His file with the employment centre was closed in October of 2009.

Details of Kachkar's personal life also emerged during testimony on Day 6 of his trial.

Kachkar came to stay at a St. Catharines shelter in late December 2010 and early January 2011 and court heard he often ate his meals with Kathleen Male.

Male testified that he told her he was estranged from his wife and two children and wanted to develop a relationship with his kids.

She told court he told her he had studied in Russia, was into photography, and interested in the bible.

Kachkar was involved in the shelter's bible study and she found some of his interpretations "a little unusual."

She testified that "he was quiet at first, then he became open. (He) never raised his voice...always polite," also admitting to the jury that at times he "wasn't coherent."

Court heard that Kachkar once asked her if "he had done something wrong or hurtful would God still love him or would he have to leave God," although she conceded during cross examination that she couldn't quite recall his exact wording or what he may have been referring to.

Around Christmas in late 2010 Male said Kachkar had hoped to spend Christmas with his children, but when things didn't work out as planned it "hurt him very much."

She told the jury he seemed "very sad and downtrodden."

Kachkar left the shelter January 6th, 2011.

Court has heard that the central issue in this case is Kachkar's state of mind on January 12th, 2011. There is no dispute that Kachkar was driving the stolen snow plow that killed Sgt. Ryan Russell near Avenue and Davenport.