Witnesses describe violent knife attack in alleged femicide near McGill University
WARNING: This story contains graphic details
MONTREAL -- Several people bore witness to the violent scene of a knife attack on a Montreal street Tuesday afternoon that left a 24-year-old woman dead.
The woman’s former roommate is facing first-degree murder charges in what police say is another case of domestic violence.
Romane Bonnier, a singer, artist and graduate of Marinanopolis College, was killed a block from McGill University's gates near the corner of Milton St. and Aylmer St., in the Milton Park neighbourhood.
“I was coming back from the dep,” said witness Tess Harris.
“I turned towards my house. A girl was walking towards me. And then, from behind, on the opposite side of the street, a man came and he attacked her and started stabbing her a bunch of times.”
The man allegedly pulled out a knife and "stabbed the woman several times in her upper body," said Montreal police spokesperson Raphael Bergeron.
Harris rushed inside to call 911, and then went back outside.
“He was just kneeled next to her and she looked dead and he started stabbing her a bunch more times,” said Harris.
Another witness, Atreyus Lewis, heard the commotion next to her apartment.
“I heard what he was saying to her, and her screaming. He was really angry at her and after he said, ‘I'm sorry, I’m sorry, I didn't want to do this,'” she said.
The young woman was rushed to hospital but died shortly after her arrival, Bergeron said.
Bergeron says the man was arrested near the scene. Police later explained that when they arrived, he was standing there, next to the woman, having made no attempt to flee.
Officers recovered the weapon and transported the man to a detention centre.
On Wednesday, Francois Pelletier, 36, of Greenfield Park was charged with first-degree murder. His lawyer entered a not-guilty plea. The case returns to court on Nov. 25.
Police say the two were once romantically linked.
Friends and former teachers told CTV News that Bonnier was an accomplished musician who sang in the Montreal Philharmonic Choir and was developing a career as a stage actress and performer.
On her YouTube channel, she posted videos of herself performing. The last was posted less than a week before her death.
She was described as kind, friendly and popular.
‘VERY DISTURBING’
A man who lives very close to the crime scene, on Aylmer, told CTV News that there were many students around at that time of day, leaving him rattled to think of them potentially witnessing the incident.
“I’ve been experiencing two events of violence in the past three days in Montreal, I think that’s too much. I’ve been living in this neighbourhood in the past 30 years and it’s the first time I see such police deployment," said Paul Marechal.
“It’s very disturbing.”
He said the brazen, daylight attack has left him shaken.
"How a man in his 30s could stab a young girl in her mid-20s -- it’s just unacceptable," he said of the allegation.
The intersection where the stabbing happened is not only near McGill and some of its student housing but is around the corner from a combined elementary and high school, F.A.C.E.
The woman's death is Montreal's 26th homicide of the year, coming one day after the 25th, another fatal stabbing in which a 16-year-old boy died outside his high school, with three teenage suspects still sought by police.
It is the 17th alleged femicide in Quebec in 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.