Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge on Thursday ordered a man to stand trial on charges including first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a city bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.
Pierre Ny St-Amand was arrested after a transit bus crashed into the front of a daycare in Laval, Que., on Feb. 8, 2023, killing two young children, aged five and four, and injuring six others.
After hearing evidence and arguments this week during St-Amand's preliminary hearing, Quebec court Judge François Landry ruled that there was sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The 52-year-old former Laval transit driver will also stand trial on seven other charges, including attempted murder and aggravated assault.
- One year later: Parents, first responders on coping with trauma after deadly Laval daycare bus crash
A publication ban covers the names of the victims and any evidence presented during the preliminary hearing.
St-Amand was in court all four days, wearing a grey sweatshirt, listening and jotting notes on a clipboard, and occasionally interacting with his lawyers.
The Crown called 13 witnesses, including several Laval police officers, Laval transit employees and four fathers and a neighbour who intervened in the wake of the crash at the Garderie Éducative Ste-Rose. The accused's wife also testified during the hearing.
Prosecutor Simon Blais told reporters the Crown was satisfied with the outcome, adding that his hope is for a trial in late 2024 or early 2025, depending on availability.
The hearing took place at the courthouse in St-Jérôme because of a lack of courthouse space in Laval. St-Amand's case will return to court on April 11 before a Quebec Superior Court judge, who will decide a trial date, Blais said.
"It is always in the interest of a legal case to progress quickly, both for the families of the victims and for the accused himself and his family."
It was a week charged with emotions. Laval police had a therapy dog in the courtroom available for anyone who needed it.
"Obviously, this is an issue that is charged with emotion," Blais said. "We're talking about the deaths and injuries of children."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
3 injured after man with knife enters Montreal-area mosque
Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.
Police arrest 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole Porsche and ran over its owner
Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
Woman nearly shut out of mother's estate sues brother in B.C. Supreme Court – and wins
Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.
Teen arrested in New Brunswick after emergency alert; 5 people in custody
A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.
Kamala Harris tells Oprah any intruder to her home is 'getting shot'
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday issued a warning to any potential home intruder: 'If somebody breaks in my house, they're getting shot.'
'We're still pushing hard': Search for missing Manitoba boy continues, RCMP find tracks
The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.
On the trail of the mystery woman whose company licensed exploding pagers
What Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, 49, the Italian-Hungarian CEO and owner of Hungary-based BAC Consulting, says she hasn't done is make the exploding pagers that killed 12 people and wounded more than 2,000 in Lebanon this week.
Four dead in northern Ontario house fire
Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.
Top Hezbollah commander among 14 killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, vowing to press on with a new military campaign until it is able to secure the area around the Lebanese border.