Trial of Charles Lassonde: jurors hear the prosecution’s version

The 14 jurors selected at the trial of Charles Lassonde, accused of the premeditated murder of Serge Boutin, will have to decide whether the accused actually tied up and buried the victim, Serge Boutin, as the public prosecutor claimed from the outset Monday.

Several witnesses who will appear before you were or still are drug users, even, in certain cases, sellers.immediately explained Me Stéphanie Landry, prosecutor for criminal and penal prosecutions.

During her opening statement, Me Landry revealed to the jury the plot of events that she intends to present during the trial. She first indicated that an important witness will be in the courtroom on Tuesday: Lana Dubois, the one who was Charles Lassonde’s spouse in July 2021, at the time of the events.

You will hear that she was arrested and accused of the kidnapping, sequestration and murder of Serge Boutin, Me Landry told the jury. In November 2023, Lana Dubois decided to collaborate with the authorities, she signed a contract in which she agreed to reveal everything she knew in connection with the murder. His collaboration led to the discovery of the body of the victim, Serge Boutin, more than two years after the events.

Still according to the lawsuit, Lana Dubois and Charles Lassonde were angry with Serge Dubois on July 7, 2021, in Val-des-Sources. After following him, the couple allegedly put Serge Boutin in a vehicle driven by Lana Dubois and drove to a country row in Danville.

When the three were outside the vehicle, Serge Boutin tried to escape twice. Each time, he was caught by the accused, who hit him several times with a stick. Enough for Mr. Boutin to say he needs care and takes the trouble to take his sweater and wrap it around his head to contain the blood.recounted Me Landry.

Charles Lassonde allegedly tied the victim’s hands behind his back, then ordered him to lie down in a piece of canvas and rolled it up.

The accused and Lana Dubois then put sand on Serge Boutin and they left [les lieux]. Mr. Boutin died as a result of these actions.

To cover up their actions, they decided to invent a story according to which the accused had handed Serge Boutin to some guys from Sherbrooke who were looking for him.a conclu Me Landry.

We were close

Serge Boutin’s sister was the first witness heard. Very moved, she said she was close to her brother. Without a fixed address, he occasionally came to spend a few months with her to rest and collect his mail. He was sick, he had diabetesshe explained.

It was she who reported her brother’s disappearance to the police, because she had not heard from him for two weeks. When he was kidnapped, at first, we didn’t really believe him, we said to ourselves “it can’t be”she confided, with tears in her eyes.

At the end of the day, two police officers from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) came to present photos of a building where neighbors had heard an altercation between Serge Boutin, Charles Lassonde and Lana Dubois. This is the place, according to investigators, where the victim was last seensaid crime scene technician, Christian Cantin.

Major crimes investigator François Rossignol said he seized plastic quick releases in the same place.

In total, around fifteen civilian and police witnesses will be heard during the four weeks that the trial is scheduled to last.

The jury selected in the morning

The first day of the trial began with jury selection. In front of a full courtroom, Judge Claude Villeneuve named the conditions for being a juror, then the exemptions which allow candidates to leave the courtroom. Four people were able to leave due to criminal records.

14 members of the jury were selected, i.e. 8 men and 6 women aged 24 to 56, from around 200 candidates summoned. Their professions are varied: cashier, Canada Post employee, practical nurse, real estate broker.

Students, a mother of seven children, a woman who said to herself too stressed through the legal process and a man who went to elementary school with the victim were notably exempted.

All the jurors had to answer this question from Judge Claude Villeneuve to ensure they judge the accused impartially: Do you consider that the fact that a person uses hard drugs makes them more likely to have committed murder? Selected jury members reported being able to approach the trial with an open mind or without preconceived ideas.

Every day for approximately four weeks, the 14 members of the jury will come to the Sherbrooke courthouse to hear the evidence presented before them by the criminal and penal prosecutor, Me Stéphanie Landry, and by Charles Lassonde’s lawyers, Me Martin Latour and Me Camille Blanchette-Sinotte.

Your decision must be based exclusively on the evidence presented in the courtroomindicated Judge Claude Villeneuve while reading his instructions to the jury. The magistrate warned the jurors that It’s important to hear all the evidence before forming an opinion.