The first-degree murder trial of Charles Lassonde, accused of killing Serge Boutin, continued Thursday at the Sherbrooke courthouse. A key Crown witness, the accused’s ex-spouse, Lana Dubois, continued to see her credibility undermined by the defense lawyer.
Quickly at the start of the day, Me Martin Latour was able to establish in cross-examination that Lana Dubois had already testified in a jury trial, when she was younger. Her father was then accused of having committed a murder, a scene which Lana Dubois would have witnessed.
Me Latour noted that Lana Dubois had to act as a Crown witness at that time, to establish that the crime committed by her father did not constitute self-defense. However, she would have neglected to mention important information to the jury, namely that the victim in the file had verbalized “wanting to fight with her bare hands” with Ms. Dubois’s father. The victim was allegedly shot and killed by the father, again according to information reported by Me Latour.
“You denied that the person wanted to fight with their bare hands,” raised Me Latour. Dubois, however, suggested that the question had not been asked of him. “I would have had no choice but to say yes,” she admitted. Lana Dubois also responded in the affirmative when the defense lawyer raised that she had received gifts from her father for her testimony.
Charles Lassonde’s lawyer, who is likely trying to undermine Lana Dubois’ credibility, once again questioned her honesty, as he did on Wednesday.
“When I decided to tell the truth, because all my life I had a shitty life, when I decided to take charge of myself and today to live a new life, no longer being in drugs, by no longer committing crimes, thefts, I am now 51 years old, it is time to become an honest citizen and take charge of myself, that is what I do,” replied Dubois , which led to another exchange between the two.
“After a complete life of dishonesty and lies, there is a new Lana who has decided to be honest. Is that correct?” asked Me Latour. “Yes,” Lana Dubois simply replied.
The witness, who admitted to having participated in the crime and who pleaded guilty to a reduced count of manslaughter, was questioned on this specific element by Charles Lassonde’s lawyer. Me Latour tried to get her to say that she had agreed to testify at the trial of Charles Lassonde in the hope of obtaining a reduction in the charge of first degree murder she was facing, without however hitting the target.
-“I was just ready to take my share of responsibility,” replied Dubois. I was ready to tell the truth of what had happened, come what may,” she replied, among other things, not flinching despite Me Latour’s insistence and numerous questions.
On a few occasions, Me Latour, who adopts a harsh tone with the witness, and the Crown prosecutor, Me Stéphanie Landry, seemed annoyed Thursday morning. Several questions from Me Latour were the subject of objections from the Crown.
Lana Dubois also seemed to get impatient during a series of questions from the defense about her relationship with Charles Lassonde.
“Charles Lassonde, was he worried in 2016 while I was in prison. […] For me, it’s not important whether he was worried or not. […] Are we going to spend an hour determining if he was worried or not?” the witness asked, before being rebuffed by judge Claude Villeneuve.
Lana Dubois also admitted a little later to having taken drugs through customs by members of her family, sometimes without their knowledge. She said she felt bad seeing someone close to her get caught, before admitting that she did it again later.
His cross-examination is on break for the rest of the day, and will resume Friday morning.
