A pair of men sought since 2010 for a shooting on the West Island have become homicide suspects after Hélène Leduc, 62, died this week.
Montreal police report that a coroner has ruled that the woman's death was a direct result of being shot in the neck while at work in the Baie D'Urfe SAQ outlet on Morgan on October 18, 2010.
Canada long had what was known as a year-and-a-day provision in its Criminal Code that made it impossible to slap a suspect with wrongful death-related charges if the victim dies 367 days or more after the incident.
That provision, dating back 14th century England, was abolished in an amendment to the Canadian Criminal Code in 1998. It was also rescinded in the UK in 1996.
Leduc suffered serious health effects as a result of the shooting, including paralysis. She was forced to live in a specially-adapted home and complained in an interview with CTV Montreal that she was no longer able to hug her grandchildren.
The suspects are believed to be aged about 25 at the time of the shooting and spoke English. One of the two shot at Leduc before both men fled the premises in what is believed to be a botched robbery. Leduc was alone in the store at the time of the incident.
Ambulance officials transported Leduc to hospital after being alerted of her condition by the next customer who entered the outlet, about 20 minutes after she was shot.
Police arrested three suspects in the months following the shooting but charges were not laid due to lack of evidence.
Police are describing the 2010 shooting as the first homicide of 2015 because it is the first dossier they have opened this year.
Police issued the surveillance video below in hopes of finding the man that might have witnessed the killers entering the store.
Sun Youth is offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction in the case, according to chief Sid Stevens. He said that the group has offered 92 rewards since 1991 and has a 27 percent success rate. The reward lasts until July 22.
In a strikingly similar story, Surrey B.C., RCMP announced Saturday that they had arrested a suspect following the death of Mahdi Halane, who was shot in a gas station dispute which left him paralyzed. Halane died as a result of his injuries in 2012. Fushpinder Singh Brar, 30, was arrested Saturday and will be charged with manslaughter.
