Amqui man accused of killing people with truck formally charged with murder

Formal charges of first-degree murder have been laid against the Quebec man accused of ramming a truck into 11 pedestrians last month in Amqui.

Steeve Gagnon, 38, appeared Wednesday morning at the courthouse in Amqui, about 350 kilometres northeast of Quebec City. He did not say a word when three charges of premeditated murder and nine charges of attempted murder using a motor vehicle were formally laid against him.

The premeditated murder charges carry a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.

His lawyer, Hugo Caissy, said Gagnon requested a trial by jury rather than by judge alone.

Neither the Crown prosecutor, Simon Blanchette, nor the defence requested a psychiatric evaluation for the accused.

Gagnon has been in custody since the alleged attack. The case was put off until June 20.

Gagnon was initially charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death, but the prosecutor had said at the time more charges were expected, and a third victim has died since the accused's initial court appearance.

Three people were killed in the March 13 ramming incident. Gerald Charest, 65; Jean Lafreniere, 73 died at the scene, and Simon-Guillaume Bourget, 41, died a week later in hospital. 

With files from The Canadian Press