Two people involved in this case admitted their participation in this sordid event, Friday in Quebec. Evan Lavoie, 21, and Andréanne Dominique, 38, pleaded guilty to charges of sequestration, kidnapping and aggravated assault.
So far, 13 people have been arrested and 11 people have been charged: to date, four of them have pleaded guilty.
The facts of this case have already been made public by some media outlets. Each time an accused admits the facts, the court learns a little more about this week of torture that left one person dead and three injured.
Kidnapping and torture
The event comes as part of a war between BFM, led by Dave “Pic” Turmel, and criminal biker groups for control of the drug market in Quebec.
On February 13, 2024, a man close to the Hells Angels was kidnapped by a group of criminals belonging to the BFM street gang. The victim notably had connections with Mario “Banane” Auger, the head of the criminal group in the Quebec region.
BFM’s management set a trap for him in order to send a message.
“BFM has several lieutenants in Quebec who see to the execution of various mandates entrusted to them. They sometimes rely on affiliated traffickers or consumers to carry out certain tasks in exchange for compensation in money, drugs or even by the cancellation of a debt to the organization,” explains Me François Doyon-Gascon in a summary of the facts read before the court.
The man was first taken to a garage in Montmagny. Threatened with a gun, he was beaten up and tied to a chair with electric wires.
For two days, the victim was beaten with metal bars. His foot was burned, the captors poured gasoline all over his body and used the drowning torture method three times. One of his ears was cut off with tin snips and an exacto knife.
The kidnappers receive their orders from the leader by telephone. “Video recordings of this butchery are produced and sent to the latter. One of these recordings is even broadcast on social media,” underlines Me Doyon-Gascon.
The victim was then moved to a barn in Saint-Malachie. Another group of kidnappers, including Evan Lavoie, then took over.
“So the torture continues at this location. The victim’s genitals and thigh are burned with a torch. With an exacto, the word “RAT” is carved into his forehead. His feet are trampled. He is beaten with an iron bar. An attempt is made to break one of his fingers. His other ear is also cut off.”
The group then receives the order to kidnap a second trafficker close to the Hells. They first catch his 75-year-old uncle. The innocent elderly person is severely beaten, her genitals are also burned.
The septuagenarian is kept in the barn until the targeted trafficker offers himself in exchange for his uncle.
This second victim is therefore also sequestered in the barn, she is beaten and all her toenails are torn out. She also sees the perpetrators forcing the other victim to eat his own ears.
Escape
During the night of February 18 to 19, Patrick Martin had to watch the two victims, but he fell asleep. One of the kidnapped traffickers takes advantage of this moment to free himself.
“He grabs a pair of pruning shears and plants them in Patrick Martin’s heart. He grabs the latter’s gun and shoots him twice.”
Evan Lavoie then heard the gunshots and went up to check on the victims. The victim shot him and hit him in the arm before fleeing. The man then managed to go to a neighbor’s house to call the authorities.
The victims were then found and transported to the hospital to treat their numerous injuries. Several people were also arrested immediately or in the days following the event.
During their police interrogation, Evan Lavoie and Andréanne Dominique gave incriminating versions concerning their participation in the affair.
Guilty by complicity
Evan Lavoie, originally from Sept-Îles, found himself involved with BFM due to numerous financial debts. “Debts which led him to have to do tasks for the group,” specifies his lawyer, Gabriel Michaud-Brière.
He admits to driving the vehicle for the victims’ kidnapping, watching over the victims in the barn and providing some assistance to the group by purchasing food and gas. The evidence presented by the prosecution, represented by Me François Doyon-Gascon, does not allow us to conclude that Lavoie participated in the torture sessions.
The young man who will soon be 22 years old had no criminal record. His involvement in crime stems from drug problems. Me Michaud-Brière let the court know that his client was ready to take control of himself and, above all, to put this twisted event behind him.
The parties jointly suggested a two-year prison sentence. He has approximately 17 months left to serve, including pre-trial detention.
Andréanne Dominique admitted to having set a trap for the Hells Angels trafficker so that he would be kidnapped. She did not participate in the torture or kidnapping of the other victim and her uncle. Me Adèle Juster also clarified that her client did not witness the abuse that was inflicted on the victims.
The woman, who had no prior criminal record and struggles with substance abuse, was released Friday after four months in pretrial detention. She will have to undergo therapy upon her release and will be subject to probation and strict conditions.
A sentence will be imposed on her in September, when she returns to court.
The involvement of Lavoie and Dominique therefore appears to be less significant than that of other accused.
The cases of Dave Mathieu, William Monger-Gagnon, David Marceau-Morin, Rémi Fournier, Dave Galienne-Picard, Derek Morin-Martel and Charlotte Montambault-Vaillancourt will return to court in the coming weeks at different stages. They are all being held during the legal proceedings.
It will eventually be possible to know the involvement of all the accused soon.
Already guilty
Georges Roy and his daughter, Marie-Laurence, have already settled their case before a judge. Moreover, the facts of this week of mutilation had been exposed for the first time at that time.
The father pleaded guilty last April for his complicity in the event. The kidnapped victim was installed in a barn belonging to Gorges Roy, in particular. The 59-year-old man received a 12-month prison sentence for his “willful blindness”. He had several criminal records.
Her daughter also pleaded guilty more than a month later, on June 3. The 29-year-old woman, who has no criminal record, was sentenced to nine months in prison. She is not believed to have participated in the torture in the barn, but helped the BFM members flee the scene.
Among other things, she had suggested her father’s barn as a new hideout.
