Sexagenarian killed and dismembered: 10 years or 20 years in the shadows for a young murderer?

The defense and the Crown have diametrically opposed opinions on the minimum time that a 21-year-old murderer who killed and dismembered a sixty-year-old should remain in the shadows. The first asks for 10 years in prison, the minimum provided by law, and the other asks for double, or 20 years.

• Also read: He admits to having killed and dismembered a sixty-year-old to avenge his friend

• Also read: Man killed and dismembered: the dangerousness of a murderer who wrote a list of the best ways to torture will be assessed

Nicolas Côté has already pleaded guilty to the unpremeditated murder and indignity to the corpse of Luc Lafontaine, which occurred in the fall of 2022.

The accused knows that the crimes he committed will earn him a life sentence.

But Superior Court Judge Lyne Décarie must now decide on the time he will have to serve behind bars before being eligible for parole.

And the parties could not be more divided: the 20 years suggested by the Crown are close to the maximum sentence (which is 25 years), while the defense is instead asking for the minimum possible time for a murder, i.e. 10 years.

Luc Lafontaine was killed in his residence in La Prairie. He was initially reported missing, but his dismembered body was found a few days later, while Nicolas Côté and his girlfriend, Zoé Boutin, were preparing to get rid of it.

The murderer did not know his victim. But he had contacted her in order to protect a friend, who said he had been attacked by Luc Lafontaine. The latter was never charged in connection with these allegations.

confront him

“Nicolas Côté wanted to meet him. But it was my story, I didn’t want him to get involved, I didn’t want it to create more problems,” the accused’s friend at the time testified on Tuesday.

A publication ban protects his identity.

The friend confided in Côté about the consequences of the attacks: he had dark thoughts and mutilated himself.

He said he was afraid of Lafontaine, who was insistent, making multiple contacts on different platforms, despite the young man’s attempts to block his number.

On the day of the murder, Côté showed up at Lafontaine’s house to confront him, but things got out of hand. The victim was hit in the head with a hammer and stabbed.

Disturbing list

According to the Crown, the accused is so dangerous that a long time behind bars is necessary before he can attempt to obtain his release.

A handwritten list of 56 ways to torture a person was found in his room after his arrest.

Furthermore, relatives of the victim also testified to denounce the brutality of this death. His son notably said that he still had traumatic images in his mind when he thought about the state of his father’s home after the sordid murder.

He also deplored having learned “in front of all of Quebec personal information” concerning his father, about which he will never be able to discuss with him “to understand”.

Sentencing observations are expected to take place throughout the week.

The defense is represented by M^e Rémi Cournoyer-Quintal and M^e Mélanie Grégoire and the public prosecutor, by M^e Suzanne Hébert and M^e Julie Sidara-Charron.