Bazinet therefore has the same fate as his co-accused Cédric Duchaine, who pleaded guilty earlier this week to the same charge. Both men were initially charged with first degree murder.
Everyone involved in this affair had a role in drug trafficking in Quebec. Proof that this type of crime results in violence, even death, as well as long prison sentences.
Bazinet was arrested in January 2022 in Gatineau, approximately three months after the murder of Michel Petit. A composite portrait had been made public by the Quebec police, in order to advance the investigation. It took more than a year to file murder charges.
The investigation into this case was colossal. The proof was based, among other things, on the analysis of cell phones obtained during searches. Several requests were made before reaching an agreement. The parties ultimately chose to avoid trial.
Trap
Shortly before 9 p.m. on October 26, 2021, Michel Petit was found in a pool of blood near the Pyramide parking lot. He is injured in the abdomen and arm. His death was pronounced at the hospital. The victim was known to law enforcement for his drug trafficking activities.
Several images from surveillance cameras in the surrounding area were captured in the days following the murder. The police are able to see the entire altercation on video.
Michel Petit therefore meets a first suspect in the parking lot, identified as Cédric Duchaine. The two men shake hands and walk together quietly.
A second suspect, unrecognizable, but identified as Élie-Samuel Bazinet, suddenly arrives from behind. He stabs Michel Petit, while Cédric Duchaine watches and remains motionless. The two men then fled in two different directions, and the victim collapsed to the ground.
Planning
Duchaine, at the head of a vast drug trafficking network, and Bazinet lived in the same building. A few days before the death of Michel Petit, Duchaine expressed having problems with Michel Petit. So he plans a meeting with him.
Duchaine is arrested after the events at the Pyramid, as he was already under surveillance by the police.
Élie-Samuel Bazinet, for his part, leaves Quebec City for fear of being apprehended by the authorities. He was arrested in January in Gatineau, the police having obtained information on the suspect.
Bazinet found himself involved in this affair due to his activities in the world of drug trafficking. He was sentenced to serve a 12-year sentence. Given the pre-trial detention, he has just under nine years left behind bars.
Before sentencing him, Judge Carl Thibault said a few words about drug trafficking, which destroys lives and leads to violent crimes.
“It’s a social scourge. Almost every day, we see crimes linked to drug trafficking. It destroys lives and it serves absolutely no purpose.”
The magistrate wished the accused well, hoping that he could pay his debt to society and then put this life of crime behind him.
The loss of a brother
Michel Petit had four brothers and one sister; a tight-knit family. He is described as a generous and dedicated man.
“It’s a big loss for us. He was like the guardian angel of the family and he was taken away from us,” the family expressed in a letter read in court.
Family members were present for Bazinet’s sentencing. They can finally put the legal proceedings behind them and begin their mourning. But no matter the time or the sentence of the guilty, nothing will bring back their brother.
“It was a piece of us that left that day.”
The accomplice also guilty
Cédric Duchaine, the co-accused in this case, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter earlier this week.
He admitted to having planned the meeting with Michel Petit in the Pyramide parking lot. He had told his accomplice that he was having problems with his drug sales, a few days before the murder.
Cédric Duchaine, the co-accused in this case, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter earlier this week. (Facebook)
However, he did not know that Bazinet was going to attack him, he maintains.
Duchaine was above all convicted of several drug trafficking offenses. He was at the head of a large network in the territory of Quebec City.
His sentence will be pronounced in February. Duchaine is also accused of attempted murder of a fellow inmate in prison, before the Court of Quebec.
Related News :