The Quebec man accused of murdering the mother of his son and triggering an Amber Alert earlier this month did not face any new charges as he appeared in St-Jerome court Monday morning.
Ugo Fredette appeared in court very briefly as he faced a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Veronique Barbe, his ex-partner and the mother of Fredette’s six-year-old son.
He appeared at 11:30 a.m. under heavy protection from security. During his appearance the accused kept his head down, did not look up for a moment, and did not look at anyone, including his attorney.
While in detention awaiting this court appearance, Fredette was held in a special cell under protection from other inmates.
"For that kind of crime they're going to protect the client from other inmates at the jail," said defence lawyer Pierre M. Gauthier.
Among the conditions the judge laid out for Fredette: he cannot contact his son, Barbe's parents, the father of his ex’s other children, and a film director he worked with named Stephane Parent, as well as any members of the Lacasse family or anyone else who might be connected to this case.
“Our prosecutor asked the court to render an order to make sure that he has no right to communicate with people near the victim or people who could be a witness in this file,” said Crown prosecution spokesperson Jean-Pascal Boucher.
Barbe’s body was found inside her home in St-Eustache on Sept. 14. The discovery triggered an Amber Alert for their six-year-old child. Fredette and the boy were found after a massive manhunt that stretched from St-Eustache, to Lachute, to Rouyn-Noranda, to Maniwaki and then finally into Ontario, where they were stopped by police. The boy was found safe.
A funeral was held for Barbe in St-Eustache on Sunday.
Fredette was transferred from a St-Eustache hospital to a detention centre in St-Jerome on Saturday. He had spent the week prior in an Ottawa hospital, and had been in a coma after self-inflicted wounds.
Crown prosecutor Steve Baribeau said Monday morning that doctors considered Fredette fit to appear.
Baribeau said there were no new charges laid against Fredette on Monday. He may face additional charges related to the death of Yvon Lacasse, a 71-year-old man whose car he allegedly stole in the midst of the manhunt. Lacasse's body was discovered in Arundel after a six-day police search.
Baribeau said the Crown should make a decision on possible charges related to Lacasse’s death within the month, but that because he is already detained, they wanted to take their time to gather all the evidence possible – including Lacasse’s autopsy results – before placing any charges.
"It's not a race. Presently, the man is detained," said Baribeau.
Fredette's next court date is Oct. 31.
