Éric Guénette did not fire the six projectiles that killed Achraf Thimoumi in Stoneham in August 2022. However, he admits to having driven the vehicle to go to the fatal meeting.
The 35-year-old man witnessed the murder. The prosecution maintains that he knew that Keven Prévost-Bouchard was going to use his weapon that day, which makes him complicit. Since he helped his friend commit the offense, he too is guilty of it.
Prévost-Bouchard admitted to having killed Achraf Thimoumi last March. He was convicted of unpremeditated murder.
The defense claims that Éric Guénette did not think that his “boyfriend” was really going to shoot. “There are never any bullets usually,” the accused drops during his testimony.
The man would therefore have acted out of fear of reprisals, summarizes Me Louis Belliard, who made his client heard during the trial on Friday.
Criminal activities
Before, during and after the murder of the Moroccan national, Éric Guénette did not denounce Prévost-Bouchard because he was “afraid”.
“I can’t leave, he has a gun. After he pulled the boy, he high-fived me and said: we are brothers for life.”
According to the accused, these words reflect an obligation to “keep your mouth shut and not speak to anyone”.
“If I respect that, it’s fine, if I don’t respect that, I’ll eat a meal,” said the accused.
In his testimony, Éric Guénette explained to the jury that he started seeing Keven Prévost-Bouchard in May 2022. He bought drugs from him for himself and to resell them to his friends.
He also admitted to having participated on several occasions in Prévost-Bouchard’s criminal activities. He describes him as a “violent and dangerous” man who always had a weapon with him.
Guénette was allegedly beaten in prison under the orders of Prévost-Bouchard, as he learned that he had finally told everything to the authorities. The accused also says that there is “a contract on his head” at the moment. He has been detained in an isolated and protected area for the past seven months.
Delivery gone wrong
Éric Guénette drove from Saguenay to Quebec in August 2022 to help Keven Prévost-Bouchard, just before the murder. He agreed to pick up the kilo of drugs with him, which was worth around $37,000 in 2022.
“You knew he was dangerous, he was violent, he had a weapon. Why did you go? Why serve this kind of people?” asked Me Fabien Villemaire in cross-examination.
The accused maintains that he could not say “no” to Prévost-Bouchard because of his association with dangerous street gangs. Guénette said she feared for her life.
Me Villemaire also explained to the jury that Guénette increased criminal activities after the murder. He continued to frequent Prévost-Bouchard to buy drugs from him, in particular. The accused did not deny these facts.
Before his arrest for murder, Keven Prévost-Bouchard was arrested for other offenses. Once in prison, Éric Guénette performed tasks for him, such as collecting money from clients.
Each time Me Villemaire asked him why he continued to maintain a relationship with Prévost-Bouchard, Guénette replied that he was afraid of reprisals.
“I’m not the one who killed him, guy!” said Guénette with emotion in her voice during her testimony.
Me Villemaire and defense lawyer Me Louis Belliard will begin their pleadings next week. The jury will then have to decide whether Guénette is guilty of unpremeditated murder due to his complicity, or not.
