Trial of Charles Lassonde: the jury is selected

The trial of Charles Lassonde began Monday at the Sherbrooke courthouse. The man is accused of the first degree murder of Serge Boutin, which occurred in Val-des-Sources in 2021.

The first day of the trial began with jury selection. In front of a full courtroom, Judge Claude Villeneuve named the conditions for being a juror, then the exemptions which allow candidates to leave the courtroom. Four people were able to leave due to criminal records.

14 members of the jury were selected, i.e. 8 men and 6 women aged 24 to 56, from around 200 candidates summoned. Their professions are varied: cashier, Canada Post employee, practical nurse, real estate broker.

Students, a mother of seven children, a woman who said to herself too stressed through the legal process and a man who went to elementary school with the victim were notably exempted.

All the jurors had to answer this question from Judge Claude Villeneuve to ensure they judge the accused impartially: Do you consider that the fact that a person uses hard drugs makes them more likely to have committed murder? Selected jury members reported being able to approach the trial with an open mind or without preconceived ideas.

Every day for approximately four weeks, the 14 members of the jury will come to the Sherbrooke courthouse to hear the evidence presented before them by the criminal and penal prosecutor, Me Stéphanie Landry, and by Charles Lassonde’s lawyers, Me Martin Latour and Me Camille Blanchette-Sinotte.

Your decision must be based exclusively on the evidence presented in the courtroomindicated Judge Claude Villeneuve while reading his instructions to the jury. The magistrate warned the jurors that It’s important to hear all the evidence before forming an opinion.