A 16-year-old boy was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder following the death of young Lucas Gaudet, who was stabbed last week near a Pointe-Claire school.
Posted at 1:15 p.m.
Initially, charges of attempted murder, along with six other counts, including conspiracy to murder, were filed against the teenager.
But since 16-year-old Lucas Gaudet died last Thursday after two days in hospital, those charges have been dropped and replaced with one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, due to injuries to a another teenager during the dramatic February 8 altercation.
The hearing into the release of the accused, which was to take place on Wednesday, has been adjourned to 1er March, when a date will be set for the procedure.
The Crown prosecutor, Mr.and Annie Barbeau objects to his being released from detention. “The seriousness of the charges means that, for the protection of the public, we must object to the release,” she explained as she left the courtroom in the Youth Division, to Montreal.
Minutes earlier, the accused teenager appeared briefly, wearing a sky blue shirt buttoned up to the neck.
His identity cannot be revealed since he is a minor.
Relatives of the victim, present in the courtroom, let out a few sobs during the short appearance.
The defendant’s lawyer, Mr.and Tom Pentefountas, indicated that his client had been in a state of shock since the events. With the new charges, “we have just reached another level of seriousness, and we will have to live with it,” he commented.
The two victims were stabbed during an altercation between two groups of students after class. Lucas Gaudet, a resident of Pierrefonds, attended John Rennie English High School, while the accused was a student at St. Thomas English High School.
A GoFundMe page created for Lucas Gaudet’s family has raised over $33,000 so far.