Accused of second-degree murder for the murder of Acadian Peninsula journalist Réjean Hébert and of contempt of a human corpse, Philippe Hébert will once again have to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
At the request of the defense, represented by Me Gilles Lemieux, Judge Marco Cloutier, of the Court of King’s Bench in Bathurst, ordered the accused to undergo such an exercise for a maximum period of 30 days.
The evaluation, which will take place in the forensic psychiatry department of the Restigouche Hospital Center, aims to determine whether the individual who is from Saint-Simon is fit to stand trial.
A first psychiatric evaluation carried out at the beginning of 2023 determined that he was fit to face justice.
The accused’s lawyer explained to the judge that he had certain fears regarding his client’s abilities after a recent meeting with him.
Under the Criminal Code, the court has full power in such matters. He can thus issue an assessment order at any stage of the proceedings brought against the accused, at the request of the accused or the prosecution.
The Crown, represented by Me Yannick Devost, did not oppose the request made by the defense.
A written report of the accused’s assessment will be filed with the court at the conclusion of the exercise.
A hearing to determine the accused’s fitness is scheduled for January 3 in Bathurst. When it is determined that the accused is fit to stand trial, proceedings continue as if the issue had not been raised.
The murder trial of Philippe Hébert is scheduled to begin in February 2025 in the Court of King’s Bench in Bathurst, before judge and jury, and could last for 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 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 remained incarcerated at the Dalhousie Regional Correctional Center while awaiting further proceedings.
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