Violent death of a young itinerant not yet elucidated: his family testifies

The family of a young homeless man killed violently in 2020 in Montreal is sorry that this death has not been solved four years later and is concerned about the violence that threatens people living on the street.

“He called me on FaceTime and he was mad. He had a black eye, you could tell he had been beaten up. He would sometimes call me and ask me for money, saying: ‘What will happen to me if I don’t pay?’” confides Karell St-Onge.

His brother, Philippe St-Onge, was found seriously injured on November 12, 2020 in an alley near Saint-Denis Street. The 28-year-old had “multiple injuries” and the coroner’s report concluded that he died of “violent death”. He died in hospital two days later.

For his family, there is no doubt that he was the victim of a murder, because Philippe did not have suicidal thoughts and had already suffered attacks in the past. Nearly four years later, the police investigation has stagnated and no one has been charged.

“There were three people there, but no one can say who did it. They have no proof to say who hit him,” maintains his father, Marc St-Onge, who still hopes that justice will be done.

From the ray of sunshine to the street

In a café on the North Shore of Montreal, Philippe’s family agreed to tell his story to the Journal to make things happen, but also to get rid of the taboo with which she had to live for years: that of having a loved one who lives on the street.

“When he was a child, he was a little ray of sunshine, not complicated, not difficult. It was later that he became anti-rules, non-conformist,” says his mother, Josée Fecteau, from the outset.

From the age of 18, a desire for freedom pushed Philippe to leave the family nest to live in an apartment. It was there that he turned to hard drugs, like heroin.

Then, in his early twenties, he packed his backpack and moved to Montreal, where he lived on the streets. “He found life around an 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. job ridiculous. It was inconceivable for him,” continues his sister Karell.

At the same time, drug use was increasingly taking over his life, including strong drugs like crack and fentanyl.

His family tried everything to get him off the street: rehab, temporary accommodation with his parents, help finding a job. Philippe always ended up going back to square one.

A dangerous life

Even though he claimed to be happy, Philippe’s lifestyle brought him a whole lot of problems. His loved ones remember several attacks of which he was the victim, before the one which was fatal to him.

“It’s an environment where there is violence. A friend told me that some young people who met him at Mount Royal kicked him in the face for free, just because he was begging,” added his father.

The latter is also convinced that Philippe was killed for stories related to drugs.

Deteriorating situation

The family is therefore very concerned to see that violent deaths targeting the homeless have increased since the loss of Philippe, and judges that Quebec is not moving in the right direction in the fight against homelessness.

She wants to raise awareness among the population that homelessness can affect anyone.

“People need to stop looking at these people like shit and passing judgment. If we, a united and normal family, can make a difference, [tout le monde peut]…” concludes M^me Fecteau.