The electronic bracelet with geolocation should be imposed on murderers in a context of domestic violence when they are released, supports a coroner who believes that this could have saved the life of Marylène Lévesque in January 2020.
According to the coroner, Me Stéphanie Gamache, this type of device could have avoided the death of the young 22-year-old woman.
In January 2020, the victim was killed by Eustachio Gallese, a man with whom she was in company in a hotel room in the Sainte-Foy sector. The accused already had a dark history in matters of domestic violence, although he had already been charged with the unpremeditated murder of his ex-wife, in 2004.
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He was still in a halfway house for this crime, at the time of the facts.
After the death of Marylène Lévesque, Correctional Service Canada (CSC) and the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) introduced new measures in their practice to ensure better monitoring of offenders in the community.
The coroner considers that they are however insufficient since they do not aim at the responsibility of the offender. She then indicates that this man’s correctional intervention plan must be reviewed in its entirety.
“This lack of accountability is at the very heart of Mr.me Lévesque, since it is on purpose that his attacker ignores the various conditions of his return to the community despite the crime which caused him to lose his past freedom, ”we can read in the report.
Me Gamache indicates that the electronic bracelet with geolocation should be an integral part of the correctional plan of any offender after a prison sentence for homicide in a context of domestic violence, since it is an effective tool for the accountability of offenders.
The Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, indicates that she is waiting for a feasibility report before implementing the device. This one is expected this month.
She said in favor of this one, but with certain reservations.
“We must not think that it will be a miracle either, but it can certainly be a very interesting measure when we look at the other countries which have adopted it”, she specifies.
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Series of errors and laxity
Since the tragic event, the Conservatives have blamed the PBC and SCC for the death of Marylène. According to MP Pierre Paul-Hus, there were many shortcomings in the release of Gallese.
“This is what is most shocking from the start. What bothers me is that we left Eustachio Gallese on parole, even though we knew full well that he was not respecting the conditions of his release. SCC and CLCC knew it and nothing was done ”, laments the deputy, adding that Gallese should have returned to prison.
Mr. Paul-Hus adds that the bracelet proposed by the coroner is ideal to avoid other tragedies.
“It is certain that the imposition of a bracelet, we are very favorable to that. It already exists in our law, it is already possible [de le faire]», He concludes.
– With the collaboration of Geneviève Lajoie