Justin Fortier-Trahan and Juventino Hernandez Pelaez, aged 20 and 18, appeared Saturday morning at the Montreal courthouse. They will remain detained pending further proceedings.
In addition to being charged with second-degree murder for the deaths of two French tourists, they were notably accused of causing bodily harm to Patrick Meguid with fire and of causing the fire without knowing or caring that the building was inhabited or occupied, according to the denunciation document obtained by Noovo Info. In addition, they are also accused of having set fire to another building on Wellington Street, without knowing or caring that it was inhabited or occupied, on the same day as the fire in Old Montreal.
The two men were arrested Friday by the Montreal Police Service (SPVM). The arrests took place in the boroughs of Saint-Laurent and Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. They were known to the authorities.
“The evidence collected during the investigation tells us that one of them used an incendiary object to set the building on fire, while the second drove the fleeing vehicle,” the commander said. Jean-Sébastien Caron during a press conference Friday afternoon.
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The fire that occurred on October 4 claimed the lives of Léonor Geraudie, 43, and her daughter, Vérane Reynaud Geraudie, 7, originally from France. The blaze broke out around 2:40 a.m. in a three-story building located very close to rue Bonsecours. At the time of the disaster, there were 25 people in the building which housed a youth hostel.
The SPVM investigation continues to shed light on the tragic event.
Justin Fortier-Trahan’s case will return to court on October 15, while Juventino Hernandez Pelaez’s case will return to court on October 18.
Coroner’s inquest
Coroner Géhane Kamel will chair a public inquiry into the two deaths in the October 4 fire.
Me Kamel was already appointed to chair the investigation into the fire which killed seven people in another heritage building on Place d’Youville, on March 16, 2023. Chief coroner Reno Bernier indicates that, since the new investigation ” will relate to similar facts”, the two files could possibly be grouped together, “depending on the progress of the files”.
Although announced in April 2023, the investigation into the fire of March 16, 2023 was suspended pending the end of the SPVM’s criminal investigation.
The two heritage buildings which were ravaged by these fatal fires both belonged to the same owner, Emile Benamor. The first, that of Place d’Youville, was used in particular for short-term tourist rentals on the Airbnb platform, the second as a youth hostel.
Wave of arsons
Police believe extortion attempts are behind several firebombings of businesses in recent months.
These attacks are often carried out by young people recruited by criminal gangs.
On Wednesday, the SPVM announced that it had arrested seven teenagers aged 14 to 17 last week, who allegedly belonged to a gang based in the Saint-Léonard district. They are suspected of numerous violent crimes, including arson and extortion.
Police also arrested a 15-year-old in connection with an attempted arson last weekend and this week, three people, including a minor, were arrested in connection with a shooting at an apartment building in Vieux Montreal.
SEE ALSO | “We can save lives”: the SPVM appeals to parents of criminalized young people
There was also the case of a 14-year-old teenager from Montreal who died in the Beauce region after apparently being sent to attack a bunker believed to belong to a gang affiliated with the Hells Angels in Frampton.
Still speaking to Noovo Info, Commander Jean-Sébastien Caron encouraged traders to communicate with the police.
With information from Noovo Info and The Canadian Press
