“He was the person I trusted the most in the world. The feeling of betrayal is still present today.”
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Pierre Berrard’s ex-spouse was convinced that she was going to die on the morning of February 3, 2022. So much so that once she got to the hospital, she asked for a pencil and paper to redo her will.
The victim asked that his identity be withheld, to minimize the impact on his family.
If the 57-year-old woman is still alive today, it is certainly because she was cunning and negotiated with her assailant, despite her significant injuries.
She made him believe that she would leave him all the rental properties they owned, which were worth nearly $3 million.
But she also suggested pretending it was a nasty fall down the stairs to explain her serious injuries.
Courtesy
Stand
But once behind the closed doors of the ambulance, she alerted paramedics that she had just been brutally attacked.
“It was too serious for me not to report, I had to be treated,” said the woman in an interview given after her ex’s guilty plea on Monday.
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It was the first time she had seen her ex-husband since the attack.
“I didn’t take my eyes off him, I wanted him to see that I could stand up,” she said.
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Moreover, even if she admits to being satisfied that he pleaded guilty, she would have liked the trial to be held. She said she was ready to testify.
She is especially disappointed that he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault rather than the original charge of attempted murder.
At the time, the attack was described as a quasi-feminicide by judge Magali Lepage, who refused to release him. It is this same judge who will have to decide what sentence he will receive.
Letter from the accused
“For my safety, I hope it will be a long sentence,” said the victim, admitting to still being afraid of the man.
The latter had never been violent, however, she insists.
Pierre Berrard read a letter of apology in the courtroom, ensuring that he never wanted to kill his victim.
Photo taken from Facebook
He also says he understands how she might have felt after the attack, he who was beaten three times behind bars.
“We feel the fear. I empathize with her,” he read.