MONTREAL - Some of the most dangerous soldiers in Quebec’s biker war settled their fate Friday, as 27 bikers jailed awaiting trial since 2009,pleaded guilty to reduced charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
The plea was the result of long negotiations between their defence attorneys and the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DCPP).
DCPP spokesman Jean-Pascal Boucher said that all other charges against the suspects, including charges of murder, were dropped.
As a result of the development, the five mega-trials originally planned will now be reduced to just one.
The 27 suspects were among the 156 arrested and detained since April 2009 and were all members or supporters of the Hells Angels.
Those sentenced Friday include:
René Bibeau, sentenced to seven years and three months and has been released; Aurèle Brouillette, sentenced to 11 years and six months, has 33 months remaining; Benoit Charron sentenced to 12 years, has 39 months remaining; Roch Delaney, sentenced to 15 years, has 13 months remaining; Mario Dion, six years and three months, already released on parole; Michel Grenier, sentenced to 15 years, has 149 months remaining; Pierrot Lachapelle, sentenced to 18 years, has 209 months remaining; Stéphane Maheu, sentenced to 18 years, has 111 months remaining; Gaétan David sentenced to 25 years and has 195 months remaining.
Steve Duquette, Gaétan David and Ghislain Vallerand were also sentenced.
On Wednesday, two other members of the Hells Angels, Alain Durand and Sylvain Chalifoux, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to murder and were sentenced to 15 years.
-With a file from The Canadian Press
