17-year-old charged with first-degree murder, sex assault in killing of Quebec woman

A Quebec City police cruiser. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot)

A 17-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder and armed sexual assault in the killing last month of a 19-year-old Quebec City woman.

The Crown said on Tuesday it will seek an adult sentence for the youth if he is convicted.

Officers arrested the suspect on Oct. 26 for impaired driving and vehicle theft and were led to a home in Quebec City's Limoilou district, where they found Daphnee Jolivet's body and a critically injured 16-year-old boy.

The suspect, who cannot be identified because of his age, was arrested on Monday for the killing of Jolivet. He has also been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault against the boy found in the home.

Quebec City police said in a statement that the teen suspect, who appeared before a youth division Quebec court judge on Tuesday, appears to have acted alone, and there was no known link between him and the victims.

Police said the boy was 16 when the alleged crimes occurred but turned 17 on Monday.

Prosecutor Hugo Breton explained to reporters outside the courtroom why the Crown will seek an adult sentence.

"Considering the seriousness of the offences, the seriousness of the actions, the Crown has decided to file -- and this is the exception under the Youth Criminal Justice Act -- a request for the teen to be subject to an adult sentence if he is found guilty," Breton said.

First-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence without possibility of parole for 25 years for adults, Breton noted. But under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the maximum sentence for the same crime is 10 years, of which six are served in full custody.

Jolivet's killing is the sixth homicide reported in the provincial capital in 2023, with arrests made in five of the cases.

 The youth's case is scheduled to return to court Dec. 15.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2023.