Landmark murders in Quebec and the east of the province in 2024

Several sordid murders marked the news of the year 2024 in the east of the province, although they were, most of the time, overshadowed by the increase in violent events perpetrated by organized crime. Of the nine dramas compiled by The Journalfive victims were female, including a baby. Three of these murders remain unsolved to this day. Here is a retrospective of these tragic events which shook communities.

January 21: a former police officer killed in his house

Sylvio Champagne, a 52-year-old former officer of the City of Montreal Police Department, who received the Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2017, was killed in the evening in his residence on 187^e Street, in Saint-Georges. Tony Maheux, a friend of the deceased, was arrested on site in this case, the circumstances of which remain unclear. According to neighbors, the 53-year-old accused was in crisis at the time of his arrest, making threats and making rambling comments. Maheux was taken to the hospital to assess his state of health before being charged with second-degree murder.

March 21: a lifeless baby at daycare

A 14-month-old toddler was found unconscious in the morning by first responders who responded to a daycare in the Beauport sector, in Quebec. Despite resuscitation maneuvers, the girl succumbed to her injuries in the hours that followed. The school’s educator, Genuite Kiwangala Mubwaka, was charged with assault and second-degree murder a few days later. Charges of assault on two other children have also been filed against her, while her partner Josaphat Mayuba Ndele faces a charge of accessory after the murder. According to our information, although the family daycare was accredited at the time of the tragedy, it would have been operated before obtaining recognition from the network.

April 25: an uneventful woman killed

Suzanne Fortin, a 78-year-old lady with no history involved in her community, was violently stabbed in her home on rue Collin, in Montmagny. The scene happened so suddenly that toast was still on the table when the police arrived, according to the victim’s brother. His 33-year-old neighbor, Éric Cantin, went himself to the authorities to confess to the homicide of the lady who lived alone with her dog. The latter, who probably had no link with M^me Fortin was charged with second degree murder. The reasons for this attack remain unknown to this day.

May 31: serial killer murdered

Robert Pickton, one of the worst serial killers in Canadian history, died at age 74 after being attacked by a cellmate at the Port-Cartier prison on the North Shore. His alleged attacker, Martin Spike Charest, first stabbed him in the throat with a homemade pick, before being interrupted by correctional officers. He then allegedly returned to the charge with a broken broom which he pushed into her nose up to her skull. Plunged into an induced coma and transported to a Quebec hospital, Pickton succumbed to his injuries almost two weeks later. Recall that the late serial killer was convicted of the murder of six women in British Columbia in December 2007, but he himself confessed to having murdered around fifty between 1978 and the early 2000s.

August 6: deadly quarrel between brothers

Jordan Lumbala, 30, was found lying in a pool of blood in his brother’s apartment around 1 a.m., in the Limoilou area of ​​Quebec. The latter, Michel Mwendanga, aged 31, allegedly attacked him in the throat with a knife. The circumstances leading to the attack, during which a woman was also injured, however, remain unclear. It was Mwendanga who himself contacted the authorities after the attack. The 30-year-old, who had a history of impaired driving dating back to 2013, was charged with second-degree murder. He remained impassive during his appearance.

August 13: disfigured at the hotel

Ève Chachaï, an Atikamekw from the community of Opitciwan, was seriously injured in the bar located in the basement of the Le Montagnais hotel, in Chicoutimi, before succumbing to her injuries the next day. Her spouse, Éric Latour, first accused of serious assault for having “injured, disfigured, and endangered the life” of M^me Chachaï ultimately faces a charge of manslaughter. The latter had already been sentenced to 12 months in prison for sexual assault, criminal harassment, assault and threats in 2022. A friend of M^me Chachaï, Éloïse Dubé, claims to have warned him of the danger the man represented. According to her, Éric Latour was not his first episode of violence against the victim.

November 28: a theft goes wrong

Justine Hertemann, a 32-year-old woman who worked at the work clothing store O Mini-Prix, in Saint-Anselme, in Bellechasse, was killed during a robbery that went wrong, around 8 p.m. The victim, originally from France and who probably had nothing to reproach himself for, died of gunshot wounds. Another 25-year-old employee who was hit in the head by a projectile miraculously escaped. The individual responsible for the attack fled on foot and has still not been apprehended by authorities. Upset by the tragedy, many merchants in the usually quiet municipality said they intend to improve their security measures to avoid another tragedy.

November 29: a criminal victim of his past?

Michael Fitzpatrick Lévesque, a 35-year-old man well known in police circles, lost his life following an armed attack of which he was the victim in an apartment building in Rimouski. It was another person who was in the accommodation on rue Pierre-D’Anjou who contacted the authorities. While the first responders tried to save his life, a large operation took place simultaneously on the rue des Goélands side. No suspects have been arrested as of this writing. Although the circumstances surrounding the homicide remain unclear, the event is believed to be linked to organized crime. Fitzpatrick Lévesque had numerous criminal records, notably for assault and assault with a weapon.

December 16: from suspicious death to homicide

Jennifer Morin, 45, was found lifeless in her home on Boulevard Louis-XIV, in the Charlesbourg sector, in Quebec. It was the coroner who asked for an investigation to be initiated after analyzing the body of the deceased. What was initially considered a suspicious death ultimately turned out to be a murder. The victim had already been arrested in the dismantling of a major narcotics network in 2021, but she ultimately never faced charges.