Stabbed a dozen times, beaten violently while trying to escape, tortured during his agony, then thrown into a barrel: Jimmy Méthot was the victim of a heinous murder. A teenager was sentenced Thursday to a harsh nine-year sentence for his participation in this crime.
The emotion was palpable in the youth room, while a dozen relatives of Jimmy Méthot attended the hearing on the sentence of one of their Jim’s executioners. The mother and stepfather of the deceased delivered heartbreaking testimonies to pay tribute to this boy with a “big heart”.
“Jimmy, he’s not a victim. He was a son, a brother, an uncle, a nephew, a son-in-law, a friend. There were so many people who loved him, “said his mother, her voice broken, before judge Myriam Lachance. Her son was sometimes so destitute that he had to live on the streets, much to his mother’s despair.
“I lost my boy, it doesn’t make sense… it will never do for me,” sobbed the grieving mother. “You didn’t just smash your life, you shattered mine,” she told the killer. “You still have time, you can do something good with your life. »
It was in and out from prison, but he was on the right track. He was brave, no one hated Jimmy. He was respectful, he was raised on a good basis. He wasn’t a bandit, he wasn’t a thief, he was a guy everyone liked. I’m never going to accept that, my man.
Jimmy Méthot’s father-in-law, addressing the accused
The summary of facts presented last December when the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder lifts the veil on a homicide described by the prosecution as “brutal” and “terrifying”. The role of the defendant – now 19 – is “secondary” in the murder, according to the defence.
Orders prevent us from recounting certain facts and from naming the accomplices of the accused. We cannot name this one since he was 17 at the time of the events.
The story of events
September 7, 2021. That evening, the teenager went armed with a machete to a residence in the borough of Lachine in Montreal to join people. He places the weapon on the sofa when he arrives and will not touch it again.
The group drinks and discusses in a friendly atmosphere. Drugs are taken. Suddenly, a conflict breaks out between Jimmy Méthot and another person. The teenager joins the fight and injures the victim by throwing a glass of beer on his head.
The conflict continues in the kitchen between Jimmy Méthot and a person. The teenager remains in the living room and therefore does not witness the scene. When Jimmy Méthot returns to the salon, he is bleeding profusely. He will sit on the ground in agony for at least an hour.
“I don’t want to die like that, I don’t want to die like that! “begs Jimmy Méthot, before trying to escape by running down the stairs. The 17-year-old catches him, however, and gives him a solid beating in front of the front door. He even goes so far as to throw the victim onto a mirror door, shattering them into a thousand pieces.
The teenager then drags Jimmy Méthot, unconscious, to the living room, upstairs. Even though he is battered, the captive tries again to escape. It was during this second attempt that he was stabbed several times in the back. The teenager, still in the living room, does not take part in this aggression.
However, Jimmy Méthot’s nightmare is not over. Just before he died, while he was dying, barbecue liquid and/or bleach was poured into his mouth.
The teenager then participates in cleaning up the crime scene. He wraps the victim’s body in several layers of cloth and places it in a barrel in the garage. It is only three days later that the police will discover the body following a denunciation. The next day, the teenager surrenders to the police.
A sentence that will end in penitentiary
According to the autopsy report, the victim was stabbed 11 times, but died from 2 blows that were not caused by the teenager’s machete.
The defense lawyer insisted on the “great” potential for rehabilitation of his client, who has continued to study for two years. “He is sick to see the consequences of his actions”, pleaded Me Vincent Rose.
The judge followed the common suggestion and imposed a nine-year custodial sentence on the accused. He will have to serve the first five years in closed custody, first in a youth establishment, then in a penitentiary, and the other four in the community.
The judge took into consideration the “brutality” of the crime, the accused’s admission of guilt, his “secondary” role in the murder, his remorse and the consequences for the victims. Note that in youth, the maximum sentence is 10 years for first degree murder. It is therefore not an adult sentence.
Me Simon Robin and M.e Alexandra Tremblay represented the Crown.