Quebec City sword attack suspect will go directly to trial
The alleged perpetrator of the sword attack in Quebec City is set to go directly to trial without a preliminary hearing in an effort to speed up the judicial process.
Carl Girouard will not be entitled to a preliminary inquiry and will return to court on Sept. 7.
Girouard, a 25-year-old from Sainte-Thérèse, a suburb of Montreal, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
On Halloween night, Oct. 31, an assailant armed with a Japanese sword and wearing a medieval costume attacked random passersby in Old Quebec.
The events shook the city and its mayor, Régis Labeaume, who noted that it was the second tragedy in the provincial capital since the mosque shooting in 2017 to make international headlines.
On Friday, the accused appeared briefly by videoconference from the Quebec City Detention Facility.
Dressed in a brightly coloured plaid shirt, he appeared before Quebec Court Judge Jean Asselin with short hair and a freshly shaved face.
Prosecutor François Godin filed a direct indictment, noting that the defence lawyer, Pierre Gagnon, had been notified in advance.
Godin did not explain the use of this procedure. Later, the spokesperson for the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), Audrey Roy Cloutier, explained that the public interest had to be taken into account.
"In addition to the reasonable prospect of conviction required to initiate a prosecution, the prosecutor (...) must first have determined that the public interest justifies the use of this procedure," she said.
"With all due respect to ongoing legal proceedings, and in order not to prejudice them, we cannot comment further at this time," she added.
The approach is not unlike how the case of the mosque shooter, Alexandre Bissonnette, unfolded. On Oct. 3, 2017, the team of prosecutors, which included Godin, had him go directly to trial without a preliminary hearing.
It was explained at the time to be a decision `long considered' and taken `in the public interest.' The question of time was also one of the factors considered.
On March 12, Godin indicated that the disclosure of evidence in Carl Girouard's file was complete.
In November, when many were commenting on the accused's mental health, he reminded them that Girouard was presumed mentally fit for trial until proven otherwise.
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 18, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.