Claude Paquin, who was acquitted Wednesday, 41 years after being found guilty of two murders he did not commit, will take the time to savor his victory before deciding whether he will seek redress in the federal courts.
On the show Everyone is talking about itSunday, Mr. Paquin indicated that he primarily intended to find a more normal life
before considering initiating new legal proceedings.
His lawyer, Me Julie Harinen, however, assured that the triggering of such steps will be part of discussions that[ils auront] in the coming days
.
When the verdict came in 1983, Claude Paquin received life imprisonment. He has since lived under harsh conditions imposed when he was released on parole in 2001, accepted by a jury in 1999.
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Claude Paquin, who spent 18 years in prison, has always proclaimed his innocence.
Photo: - / Amélie Desmarais
Mr. Paquin felt as if he had a leash around the neck
during parole, he says. He admits to having contemplated suicide several times while serving his sentence.
I felt that hatred and frustration were taking over me. I decided to fight.
After his acquittal on Wednesday, Mr. Paquin thanked the judge for having out of hell
.
Over the past four decades, Claude Paquin has always proclaimed his innocence. Finally, in 2024, with the help of lawyers from the Innocence Project Quebec, Minister of Justice Arif Virani ordered a new trial. The latter claimed at the time to have reasonable grounds to believe that it was a miscarriage of justice.
As part of a request for judicial review, the lawyers of the Innocence Project Quebec succeeded in demonstrating that the informer whose testimony led to the conviction of Mr. Paquin had perjured himself on several occasions and that he had conspired with police officers to testify in exchange for certain benefits.
Ronald Bourgouin and Sylvie Revah, friends of Mr. Paquin, were murdered in the Laurentians in 1978. Five years later, in 1983, Mr. Paquin was found guilty of ordering their murders. The prosecution was then based mainly on the testimony of the informer Bernard Provençal.
