Randy Tshilumba has been found guilty of the first-degree murder of a young Maxi grocery clerk.
The jury rendered its verdict Friday afternoon, determining that 21-year-old Tshilumba knew the difference between right and wrong when he stabbed Clemence Beaulieu-Patry.
The 20-year-old woman was killed in a Montreal East Maxi store on April 10, 2016, when she was stabbed 14 times. Tshilumba was arrested two days later.
The accused never disputed the events, but claimed he was not criminally responsible due to a mental illness.
Defence attorney Philippe Larochelle claimed Thilumba was suffering from a schizophrenic episode at the time of the incident, and believed Beaulieu-Patry had been stalking him. Two psychiatrists testified on his behalf.
Crown attorney Catherine Perreault pleaded premeditated murder, notably placing a Montreal police investigator into technological crimes on the stand, who explained how he searched online for advice after the fact.
In particular, the investigator found on Tshilumba’s phone: “How to clean a blood stain” and “how to get rid of a weapon.”
The officer said he was able to determine the accused was apparently checking for news stories, using key words such as "supermarket murder" and "Montreal murder 2016."
The jury spent four days deliberating before rendering a verdict.
The guilty verdict comes with an automatic life sentence with no possiblity of parole before 25 years.
With files from The Canadian Press
