On September 27, 2022, Guillaume Morin received the dumbbell on the forehead and immediately collapsed to the ground, his skull shattered. He suffered significant injuries and was quickly transported to the hospital.
The wound was treated and the 43-year-old man’s condition stabilized. When he was transferred to another room at the hospital on September 28, Mr. Morin fell to the ground. The event caused further bleeding and led to another emergency surgery.
“After this fall, his condition very clearly deteriorated. In 10 minutes, the victim went from an awake and lucid individual to a deep coma,” indicates the summary of facts filed in court.
Guillaume Morin died in the hours following this fall. The prosecution does not completely attribute this man’s death to the accused, but believes that the injuries caused by the dumbbell contributed to it.
“Mr. Morin would never have been in the hospital if he had not received a cast iron dumbbell on his head,” underlines Me Valérie Bélizaire-Joseph, who is leading the case for the public prosecutor.
Mr. Morin did not know the accused. He never spoke to her. That day, he accompanied his friend Hughes Gingras-Jobin to collect $20 from Patry. When the two men raised their voices, the victim remained aside, standing in the parking lot; where he received the dumbbell in the face.
Michel Patry, 62, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.
“To scare”
Michel Patry said he threw the dumbbell “to scare” the two men. He testified in court Monday as part of sentencing submissions, two years after the crime.
“When I launched the dumbbellsit was to scare, I didn’t see it. I aimed at the tree, I didn’t know that it had moved back that far,” said the accused.
The 62-year-old man has several criminal records. He has already spent 17 years behind bars for manslaughter with a firearm.
The prosecution believes that Michel Patry positions himself as a victim and tries to minimize his action. He showed himself to be “aggressive” and “impulsive” in front of a man who posed no threat, summarizes the prosecutor.
“Despite what the gentleman may say, we have no choice but to come to the conclusion that it was a calculated, precise gesture,” notes Me Bélizaire-Joseph.
The two men were not threatening towards Patry, they showed no signs of violence; even less the victim, who did not say a word.
For serious actions committed by a repeat offender, she requests the maximum sentence for serious assault, i.e. 14 years. Patry demonstrates sincere remorse, but has shown no evidence of awareness. According to the lawsuit, the risk of reoffending is still high.
“He was my best friend”
The victim’s friend, Hughes Gingras-Jobin, testified Monday. He has been consumed by guilt since the events.
“He is a person who would not do harm, he is a guy who is funny, who liked to laugh, he was peaceful, thoughtful. Guillaume was precious as a friend. […] He had no place in the equation, he didn’t deserve this, I should have been the one in his place. He was my best friend, he was my confidant. I miss him,” the witness expressed with difficulty.
His testimony gave way to difficult exchanges in the courtroom. He and the accused exchanged glances several times and spoke to each other, whereas each witness must speak strictly to the judge when speaking under oath.
“He blames himself…”, said Mr. Gingras-Jobin, returning to his seat in the room, wiping his tears.
Five to eight years, defense suggests
Me Benoît Labrecque believes instead that the appropriate sentence for his client is five to eight years in penitentiary. Even if he is sensitive to the fate of the victim, he recalls that Patry is not directly responsible for his death.
He believes a 14-year sentence for aggravated assault is too harsh, close to attempted murder or manslaughter.
“I want to apologize for the harm I have done, I know what grief is, I know what it is to lose a person. I can’t do anything to go back, if I could I would, I would call the police instead of throwing the dumbbell,” his client underlined at the end of the hearing on Monday.
Mario Patry also complained about his life in prison, stressing that he has to deal with a lot of health problems.
“There, it’s young, it’s rock and rollit’s violent. […] It’s hellish, it’s screaming, there’s nothing to do. I’m having anxiety attacks, I’m killing myself,” the accused says before judge Pierre L. Rousseau.
The magistrate will make his decision early next year.
