Murder trial: the accused allegedly tried to take his own life by causing the confrontation

SAINT-JEROME | A man who allegedly caused a head-on collision on Highway 50 must now defend himself against a charge of murder because he then wanted to commit suicide without worrying about the life of his victim, according to the prosecution.

“ [Sa] life in disarray led him to want to end his life. This is the motive for the crime,” said Mr. Steve Baribeau, Crown prosecutor, on Monday at the opening of the jury trial of Jano Vincent, at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse.

“The evidence will explain why nothing was going well in [sa] life. If we are all here, it is because the accused was unable to deal with his problems and his emotions in the right way,” he continued.

The 37-year-old man is undergoing his trial before a jury, which is expected to last at least a month.

Dressed in a white shirt, the defendant appeared calm in the dock during the first day of the hearing, Monday.

Vincent is accused of second-degree murder following the event of October 6, 2019, on Highway 50, near Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, in Outaouais.

Violent impact

That day, at 12:38 p.m., the accused was traveling on Highway 50 East, when his black F-150 truck allegedly “voluntarily” deviated from its lane to collide head-on with Robert Campion’s recreational vehicle.

“Keep in mind the force of the impact that a head-to-head collision between two vehicles traveling at 100 km/h can cause,” argued Mr. Baribeau. And the size of an F-150. »

According to the prosecution’s theory, this action constitutes murder because Vincent consciously used his van as a weapon.

“The accused used his Ford F-150 as a weapon which he turned against himself and against Mr. Campion,” explained the prosecutor. It was indifferent to him whether death followed or not. He was carefree and indifferent to the fate of the other driver. »

At camping

The 59-year-old driver of the RV and nature lover unfortunately died at the scene.

Alone in his vehicle, he was returning home to Mirabel after a camping trip in Montebello, in Outaouais. He had his fishing rod and his bike on board.

Furthermore, the prosecution will reveal the accused’s relationship with his ex-spouse, the analysis of his cell phone at the time of the tragedy, confessions about his personal problems and his desire to attempt suicide.

Letter in proof

A letter written by hand by Vincent, addressed to his parents, will be shown to the jury, among other things. They had a civil dispute with their son over a residence they had sold to him.

“This is not an ordinary letter written in ordinary circumstances. This letter was written concomitantly with another event that occurred in the life of the accused in August 2020,” explained Me Baribeau.

The prosecution will have around twenty people testify, including a re-enactor, a witness to the accident, the victim’s spouse, firefighters and paramedics.

The trial will continue on Tuesday.