The preliminary investigation into Pierre Ny-St-Amand, the bus driver accused of killing two children by crashing into a Laval daycare while driving his vehicle, began Monday morning at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse.
A publication ban prevents us from detailing the facts of this preliminary investigation scheduled for four days. This stage of legal proceedings aims to determine whether all the evidence is sufficient to hold a trial.
Ten witnesses must be heard during this legal stage. These are civilian witnesses who were on site at the time of the Laval tragedy, the accused’s spouse, a psychologist and a psychiatrist. The defense will not present any witnesses.
Pierre Ny St-Amand is accused of driving into a daycare in the Sainte-Rose district of Laval while he was driving one of the city’s buses on the morning of February 8, 2023.
The 52-year-old man was arrested shortly after the incident and charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault.
His lawyer, Me Véronique Talbot asked Judge Pierre Landry that her client not be handcuffed in order to take notes during the investigation. One of the constables present in the room told the court that the procedure did not allow this, since the accused had exhibited “unpredictable behavior” in the past. He therefore remained handcuffed with a device allowing him to write.