A young sadist who massacred a stranger before dismembering his body was sentenced to life in prison on Friday. Despite his extremely worrying profile, Nicolas Côté will be eligible for parole in 14 years. The Crown, however, demanded a period of 20 years.
Posted at 12:13 p.m.
“These are horrible crimes of extreme violence and incredible brutality. The cruelty of the actions indicates a cold insensitivity,” said Judge Lyne Décarie on Friday in a crowded room at the Longueuil courthouse.
“The Court, after careful consideration, considers that the aggravating factors are counterbalanced by a certain number of mitigating factors,” concluded the judge to justify the imposition of this relatively lenient sentence in the context.
Nicolas Côté, 21, brutally killed Luc Lafontaine on October 22, 2022, a man he had never met. It all started when a friend confided to him that he had been sexually assaulted by Luc Lafontaine. Nicolas Côté then began to exchange sexual messages with the victim to “fool” him.
His motivations remain “nebulous”, according to the judge. In any case, Nicolas Côté goes to Luc Lafontaine, supposedly to “confront” him about his actions towards his friend.
When Luc Lafontaine offers him oral sex, Nicolas Côté is “overwhelmed” by anger. According to his account, he grabbed a hammer and hit the victim in the head five times. He then grabbed a knife and stabbed Luc Lafontaine 25 times. Then he dismembers the body, cleans the scene and tries to divert suspicion.
He was finally caught with his friend Zoé Boutin (sentenced to a year in home prison) trying to dispose of the body in the river. Last March, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and indignity to a corpse.
According to the Crown, a period of ineligibility for parole of 20 years was necessary, in particular because of the risk of recidivism and the homophobic nature of the crime. The defense asked for the minimum, 10 years.
According to a psychiatrist, Nicolas Côté presents narcissistic personality traits. A recurrence is even “probable” if its recommendations are not followed, added the expert.
Since childhood, Nicolas Côté has had an “attraction to the macabre”. He wrote a “very graphic” list of 56 ways to torture a person. He has a passion for knives, horror films and taxidermy. He killed his first squirrel at age 12. A “way to vent your anger,” he says. And he filmed himself killing chicks.
Also, Nicolas Côté asked a relative “if it was OK to kill a pedophile”.
If the judge retained several aggravating factors, including the brutality of the crime and the post-offending behavior, she ruled out premeditation and homophobia. The judge considered several mitigating factors, including the offender’s admission of guilt, remorse, young age and potential for rehabilitation.
