Nord-du-Québec: released by the court after a possible ax attack, he allegedly beat his own grandmother to death

An 18-year-old young man from Nord-du-Québec is suspected of beating his own grandmother to death just one month after being released despite accusations of sexual assault and an ax attack.

• Also read: A young Inuk shot dead by police in Salluit and his twin injured

• Also read: Another woman killed in Quebec: a 17-year-old teenager allegedly beat his own mother to death in Salluit

“It could have been avoided if we had kept this guy in detention,” says Patrice Abel, head of investigations at the Nunavik Police Department, on the phone.

“There are too many cases, unfortunately, where there is an escalation of violence, and then we postpone [les accusés] outside,” he laments.

The death of Minnie Ivilla, 63, pushes the police officer to denounce the flaws in the courts in the Nordic region.

This is because Alex Amittuq, the victim’s grandson, had just been released when he allegedly brutally beat her on October 23.

A conflict had degenerated in the lady’s residence in Puvirnituq, a village of more than 2,000 souls.

Heavily intoxicated, he allegedly attacked her with a boot with a steel toe, we learned. She died of her injuries last Friday after falling into a coma.

Growing violence

However, the young man was already facing serious charges.

He is suspected of sexual assault, assault and threat against a 17-year-old victim on July 23, noted The Journal.

Seven days later, Amittuq allegedly drank heavily with his brother until a dispute broke out.

Furious, the accused allegedly hit the then 28-year-old man on the head with an ax and left him in a pool of blood. Other bloody items were seized at the scene by police.

According to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), Amittuq was nevertheless released for the first time around mid-August.

Alex Amittuq was arrested in the following weeks for non-compliance with conditions, adds the DPCP.

Following an investigation into his release, the accused was released on September 19.

In all cases, “the position of the public prosecutor was that Mr. Amittuq was a danger to society. We objected to his release,” assured the Journal M^e Laurence Robert-Lavigne, of the Crown.

The alleged attack on his grandmother that occurred the following month led to charges of aggravated assault. As the case is now considered a murder, the Sûreté du Québec took over the investigation.

It’s overflowing

In the eyes of police officer Patrice Abel, this case further highlights the scourges that plague the population of Nord-du-Québec: alcohol, drugs and violence.

“At one point, violent crime in the north [de la province] become more commonplace than in the south, because we have a lot of them,” he says.

Local authorities also have to juggle logistical issues such as overcrowded cells, which leads to suspects being transferred by plane to the territory.

“The entire judicial system should be remodeled, rethought in Nunavik,” underlines Patrice Abel.

• The death of Minnie Ivilla brings to 24 the number of female victims of murder this year in Quebec.