Steeve Gagnon has been discovered responsible of first-degree homicide after operating down and killing three individuals along with his pickup truck in Amqui, Que., in March 2023.
The 12 jurors, who started their deliberations behind closed doorways on Friday morning, delivered their verdict on the courthouse in Rimouski, Que., on Saturday night.
Gagnon confronted three counts of first-degree homicide and two counts of tried homicide utilizing a motorcar. He was discovered responsible on all 5 prices.
Quebec Superior Court docket Justice Louis Dionne instantly sentenced Gagnon to life in jail with out the potential of parole for 25 years on the homicide prices and 10 years for every of the tried homicide prices, to be served concurrently.
Gérald Charest, 65, Jean Lafrenière, 73, and 41-year-old Simon-Guillaume Bourget had been killed after being struck by Gagnon’s car.
It was an emotional scene when households and neighborhood members exited the courtroom after the decision. Some had been tearful, whereas others appeared relieved.
Amqui Mayor Sylvie Blanchette instructed Radio-Canada that folks can now flip the web page.
“It would not erase something,” she mentioned in French, “Gérald, Jean and Simon-Guillaume is not going to be coming again, however at the least for the households, it is like a balm on a wound.”
“The decision that they had been ready for is the one which got here out,” she mentioned of the victims’ family members.
Gagnon admitted he was driving the car that struck and killed three individuals and severely injured three others, however throughout his jury trial, the defence argued it was an accident.
His lawyer, Hugo Caissy, mentioned Gagnon was driving when he dropped one thing on the ground of his car, reached down to select it up, after which misplaced management of the car and struck the pedestrians.
The Crown, nevertheless, had argued that Gagnon’s actions had been premeditated and intentional.
The prosecutor pointed to a collection of movies Gagnon recorded simply two days earlier than the crash, the place he described operating down kids in a schoolyard along with his truck.
On March 13, 2023, the day of the crash, Gagnon stopped at a schoolyard, however there have been no college students there as a result of it was a pedagogical day.
Six minutes later, the primary pedestrian was hit.
With a purpose to discover Gagnon responsible of first-degree homicide, jurors needed to conclude that he deliberately ran down these individuals, and that he deliberate the crime upfront.
“We all the time believed that that it was first-murder and we had been assured in our proof,” Crown prosecutor Simon Blanchette mentioned on Saturday.
In the meantime, the defence has 30 days to attraction the decision. Caissy would not touch upon whether or not or not it is a path Gagnon will pursue.
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