The Montrealer who stabbed to death his partner who tried to flee him has just been found guilty of premeditated murder, under the gaze of the victim’s mother who burst into tears.
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“Maybe now my daughter will be happy where she is,” said Jennat Betondi, just after a jury sealed the fate of Hosea Amorus Puhya, this Thursday at the Montreal courthouse.
Puhya, 51, was accused of murdering Gisèle Itale Betondi in September 2022, after spending months threatening her life. It was because his 28-year-old wife had had enough of him and wanted to leave him. Dissatisfied, Puhya threatened her and even spent several months in prison, in connection with domestic violence.
Gisèle Itale Betondi, 28, was stabbed to death in the parking lot of her home, rue des Oblats, in LaSalle, in September 2022.
Photo COURTESY BETONDI FAMILY
“I’m going to kill you and when you go to heaven, I’m going to come and I’m going to hit you even in heaven, mark my words,” Puhya said to his wife, among other things.
Horror scene
The latter had fled the home to hide, but once released from prison, her husband found her. And after spying on her, he stabbed her to death in the parking lot of the home, in the presence of their children.
Hosea Amorus Puhya is accused of the first degree murder of his ex-partner, Gisèle Itale Betondi. The 28-year-old woman was stabbed to death in the parking lot of her home on rue des Oblats in LaSalle.
Photo COURTESY OF THE COURT
“I don’t know where she found the strength, but she ran towards me saying to call 911. And then she said: ‘He’s my husband’ in her language,” Sally Bessem Ba-testified Maah, a friend of the victim who had witnessed the horror scene.
Puhya was, however, filmed by surveillance cameras, so the jury was able to see him going to Ms. Betondi’s residence. The murder was also captured by surveillance cameras.
Hosea Amorus Puhya is accused of the first degree murder of his wife Gisèle Itale Betondi, stabbed to death in a parking lot on rue des Oblats on September 8, 2022. He would be seen here on the bus heading to the Sauvé metro station. Courtesy of the court
Courtesy of the court
Accused of premeditated murder, Puhya did not present a defense, but his lawyers Mare Antonio Cabral and Vanessa Sadler pleaded reasonable doubt. It didn’t work, because after a day of deliberations, the guilty verdict came down.
“It was a very emotional trial, but justice has been done, we accept the verdict,” said Mr.e Cabral leaving the courtroom.
“Unacceptable” violence
Crown prosecutors, for their part, said they hope that the verdict will allow those close to Ms. Betondi to turn the page.
Hosea Amorus Puhya is accused of the first degree murder of his ex-partner Gisèle Itale Betondi. The 28-year-old woman was stabbed to death in the parking lot of her home on rue des Oblats, in LaSalle. COURTESY OF THE COURT
Courtesy of the court
“Domestic violence, in all its forms, is unacceptable,” added Me Jade Coderre while Me Phillippe Vallières-Roland recalled that the whole of society must mobilize against domestic violence.
With this verdict, Puhya will be sentenced to life in prison, with no possibility of release until 2047.
Judge Catherine Perreault, however, postponed the sentence until next week, in order to give the victim’s relatives time to prepare letters that they should read in court, about the impact that the crime had on them. .
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