A person who used a sword to kill two folks and critically injure 5 others in Quebec Metropolis's historic district on Halloween evening 2020 was discovered responsible by a jury Friday on two counts of first-degree homicide.
A jury convicted Carl Girouard, 26, within the deaths of Francois Duchesne, 56, a museum worker, and Suzanne Clermont, 61, a hairdresser. Jurors additionally discovered him responsible on 5 counts of tried homicide.
Girouard had admitted to the acts, however his defence lawyer argued his shopper was not criminally accountable as a result of a psychological dysfunction and couldn't inform proper from improper. The Crown countered that the killings had been premeditated and that Girouard was conscious of his actions that evening.
Minutes after the 11 jurors delivered the verdicts on Day 5 of their deliberations, defence lawyer Pierre Gagnon stated his shopper had anticipated a distinct final result and could be interesting.
"He is aware of very properly that this can be a battle that has simply ended, however there might be a sequel," the lawyer instructed reporters.
In keeping with the Crown's case, Girouard drove from his dwelling north of Montreal with a Japanese-style sword referred to as a katana that had a 76.9-centimetre blade. He wore black jogging pants, black leather-based boots, a short-sleeved kimono and a black masks. After arriving in Quebec Metropolis, he drove round earlier than lastly parking in entrance of Le Chateau Frontenac resort, within the metropolis's historic quarter, and starting his assault.
The case hinged on knowledgeable testimony from psychiatrists who offered conflicting conclusions about Girouard's prison accountability.
Dr. Gilles Chamberland, a psychiatrist testifying for the defence, concluded that Girouard was on the autism spectrum, suffered from schizophrenia and was delirious and in a state of psychosis the evening of the killings, unable to differentiate proper from improper.
Chamberland stated the signs had been current from early in Girouard's childhood and that the accused retreated right into a world of violent video video games.
Girouard instructed the trial that by age 18, he had hatched a mission that concerned killing folks with a sword, creating chaos, altering the world and inspiring like-minded folks -- whom he referred to as his "alter-egos" -- to proceed his "mission" after his loss of life.
He stated there have been two competing variations of himself in his head, together with a "unhealthy" model who was mission-focused however had ceased to exist after the Halloween assaults. He instructed the court docket that upon arriving in Quebec Metropolis from his dwelling in Ste-Therese, Que., he was fearful and struggled with persevering with his mission. However in the end, "unhealthy Carl" took over, he stated.
The prosecution argued that the acts had been premeditated, noting Girouard had spoken to psychological well being employees since his late teenage years about utilizing a sword to assault folks.
The Crown's major knowledgeable, psychiatrist Dr. Sylvain Faucher, concluded that Girouard suffered from a character dysfunction and was on a "narcissistic quest" to specific his resentment towards society, concluding that there have been no indicators of delusional pondering and the accused knew proper from improper.
Faucher stated the killer was pursuing a "malicious fantasy" impressed by his creativeness and the violent video video games he performed. His final aim, the Crown knowledgeable stated, was to realize notoriety. He stated schizophrenia was unlikely, noting the absence of signs at a youthful age, which generally precede the illness. He additionally discovered it unlikely that "unhealthy Carl" merely vanished with out Girouard taking any medicine.
Prosecutor Francois Godin stated he was pleased with the verdicts.
"We're very completely satisfied for the households of the victims who, at present, will have the ability to flip the web page and we hope put some salve on their wounds," Godin stated.
One of many survivors of the assault, Lisa Mahmoud, instructed reporters on the courthouse she wished the utmost potential sentence for Girouard, whom she described as "very harmful" and a "manipulator."
"I feel it was one of the best resolution to make; I thank them very a lot for his or her work. It is a good verdict," Mahmoud stated, including that she was nonetheless recovering from her wounds.
"I am nonetheless battling with my accidents, however I am fortunate to be right here. I'll take my life again. I might be very relieved as soon as the sentence is out," she stated.
Clermont's sister-in-law, Marie-Claude Veilleux, stated she was glad with the decision, having adopted your entire trial.
"Society might be protected against this very harmful particular person, nevertheless it will not deliver us again Suzanne nor Mr. Duchesne," she instructed reporters. "However society might be protected."
Gagnon stated there have been severe grounds for enchantment. Earlier than the jury rendered its verdicts, the trial decide reproached the prosecution for the way in which it offered Girouard's five-hour police interrogation throughout which the accused spoke solely as soon as.
Gagnon stated it was inappropriate for the Crown to recommend to jurors that Girouard's silence through the interrogation was an indication the accused knew he had accomplished one thing improper. In Canada's prison justice system, suspects have the correct to remain silent and neither judges nor jurors ought to infer something from that silence.
Quebec Superior Court docket Justice Richard Grenier delay the case for sentencing till June 10, because the Supreme Court docket of Canada is to rule subsequent Friday on the constitutionality of consecutive life sentences for folks discovered responsible of a number of murders.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Might 20, 2022.
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