The man accused of being at the heart of Quebec's longest-lasting Amber Alert was in court Monday for his preliminary hearing for murder.
Ugo Fredette is charged with the premeditated killing of his spouse, Veronique Barbe, and the second-degree murder of a 71-year-old man, Yvon Lacasse.
An Amber Alert was issued on Sept. 14, 2017, when the body of Barbe was discovered in her home in St. Eustache.
The manhunt led police from Saint Eustache to Rouyn-Noranda, then west of Napanee, Ontario, where Fredette was arrested on Sept. 15, in the presence of a child who cannot be identified under a court order.
Fredette is also accused of stealing a car from Lacasse, whose body was discovered on Sept. 20, 2017 in Arundel.
At a preliminary hearing the Crown sets forth its evidence in the case, and in this case about 30 witnesses will be called over three weeks to explain what they will say at a trial, although the evidence presented cannot be reported or published.
Families of the two victims attended Monday's hearings and had difficulty listening to the evidence as it was presented, with several people crying and voicing anger at Fredette as the accused sat in the prisoner's box.
Fredette, wearing a suit, gazed at the floor for most of Monday's hearing.
Following the preliminary hearing a judge will decided if there is enough evidence to justify a criminal trial, which in this case would likely happen in 2019.
Last spring Fredette pleaded guilty to charges he was facing in Ontario of dangerous driving and car theft.
