The murder trial of Philippe Hébert could be avoided

The murder trial of Philippe Hébert could be avoided
The murder trial of Philippe Hébert could be avoided

The murder trial of Philippe Hébert, which is scheduled for February 2025, may ultimately never take place.

The lawyers assigned to the case of the accused, who is from Saint-Simon, in the Acadian Peninsula, agreed Thursday in the Court of King’s Bench in Bathurst to hold a resolution conference.

The judicial exercise aims concretely to allow discussions before a judge and the accused between the prosecutor and the defense lawyer, discussions which can lead to a settlement of a case before the court.

Me Gilles Lemieux, who represents the accused, also indicated to Judge Marco Cloutier during the pre-trial conference held Thursday that the discussions between the two parties have been productive until now.

Different scenarios can arise from a resolution conference.

The accused can thus decide to modify his plea previously recorded in court and plead guilty to the charges filed against him.

Another highly conceivable scenario would see Philippe Hébert plead guilty to reduced charges, which would earn him a lesser sentence than if he were found guilty by the jury at the end of a trial.

The last plausible scenario would be that the discussions between the defense lawyer and the Crown prosecutor go absolutely nowhere, which would result in a trial being held.

In the latter case, the murder trial of Philippe Hébert should begin on February 10, 2025 in the Court of King’s Bench in Bathurst, before judge and jury.

It has been determined that the trial will take place in French, but that some witnesses who speak in English will be heard in the language of Shakespeare.

The accused, who has just celebrated his 31st birthday, faces charges of murder and indignity to a human corpse.

According to what was heard in court, the trial could take place over a period of up to 15 days.

The acts alleged against Philippe Hébert allegedly occurred on December 29, 2022 in the Acadian Peninsula.

The RCMP revealed at that time that police officers went to a residence in Saint-Simon in the middle of the night to check the well-being of a person before finding the body of a 60-year-old man inside. exterior of a residence.

The details relating to the incident which shook the Acadian Peninsula and the media world are subject to a publication ban decreed by the Court.

The victim was identified as Réjean Hébert, a well-known journalist who was employed by the radio station CKRO-FM.

The police arrested the victim’s son a few hours after the tragedy. He is still incarcerated pending further proceedings.

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