QUEBEC CITY -- The man who is accused of a sword attack in Quebec City that killed two people and injured five more, Carl Girouard, will undergo a psychiatric examination, his lawyer Benoit Labrecque announced on Friday.
Labrecque informed Judge Sarah-Julie Chicoine of the Court of Quebec that he has appointed a psychiatrist whose report will be filed on Jan. 26.
Labrecque is trying to determine if he can present a defence of non-liability in Girouard's case on account of a psychiatric disorder. Until then, the man will remain in custody.
The 24-year-old from Sainte-Therese, a suburb of Montreal, appeared in court by videoconference on Friday morning. He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
On Oct. 31, an assailant armed with a Japanese sword and dressed in a medieval costume attacked people in the Old Quebec neighbourhood.
Two people were killed: François Duchesne, 56, and Suzanne Clermont, 61.
Duchesne was the director of communications for the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. Clermont worked in a hairdressing salon.
Four of the five injured have been identified after a publication ban was lifted. They are Rémy Bélanger, Gilberto Porras, Lisa Mahmoud and Pierre Lagrevol. The fifth is a minor.
Some of them have come forward to share their stories.
On Nov. 5, the prosecutor assigned to the case, François Godin, reminded the court that the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This article by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 20, 2020.
