The man doesn’t want another child. When his girlfriend tells him she is pregnant, he takes his pistol and fires a shot. “Are you sure you don’t want to have an abortion?” », he says. This executioner then “rented” his firearm to another woman, killed by a bullet in the head in unclear circumstances.
Albano Pierre, a 32-year-old Montrealer, was found guilty by Judge Dennis Galiatsatos of around fifteen charges Wednesday at the Montreal courthouse, including forcible confinement, armed assault, discharging a firearm and numerous counts related to firearms. He was acquitted of criminal harassment.
Early 2021. Albano Pierre has been seeing Vanessa* for several months. The man never separates from his firearm – illegal – and carries it at all times in his Louis Vuitton brand “man purse”. Pierre often leaves the revolver lying around his apartment.
Vanessa is not bothered in any way by the presence of the gun. Even in January 2021, she recorded a video where she grabbed the gun. Did she want to threaten Pierre, traffic the weapon or brag on social networks? We ignore it. That said, this video will prove crucial for the police.
On February 16, 2021, Vanessa announced to Albano Pierre that she was pregnant and that she wanted to keep the child. The man is firmly opposed to it. He is in all his states. He takes his revolver and points it in Vanessa’s direction and fires. The evidence will reveal that the shot was fired very far from the victim, towards the kitchen.
The woman is panicking. Albano Pierre points the gun at Vanessa again. “Are you sure you don’t want to have an abortion?” », he threatens. Frightened, the woman tells him that she will have an abortion (she will not) to calm him down. She then took refuge in a shelter for battered women.
Five days later, Marly Édouard, an artists’ agent of Haitian origin, was found dead in Laval in a parking lot near her condo. The 32-year-old woman was shot in the head. A .22 caliber revolver was found near the body.
ARCHIVE PHOTO TAKEN FROM MARLY ÉDOUARD’S FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
Marly Édouard
Twist of theater: this firearm is the one used by Albano Pierre to force his partner to have an abortion. The trial revealed that the accused “rented” his firearm for $800 to Marly Édouard (Marylie Édouard in the judgment). She was seeking protection from a violent ex-partner, according to Vanessa. The Press wrote at the time that Marly Édouard had filed a complaint for death threats against a man.
Today, the Sûreté du Québec indicates that the investigation into the death of Marly Édouard has been completed. “There are no criminal offenses,” he told The Press a spokesperson for the SQ. At trial, Vanessa said a neighbor told her it was suicide.
According to Vanessa’s account, Albano Pierre became fearful when Marly Édouard stopped responding to his messages after the gun was loaned. The accused and the victim therefore returned to the woman’s apartment, but saw the police stationed near the scene. The video made by Vanessa ultimately helped link the weapon to the two crimes.
No need for a perfect victim
Vanessa was far from being a perfect victim, quite the contrary. The judge “flatly” did not believe him on certain points. For example, her testimony is not credible when she speaks of lending the weapon to Marly Édouard. This leads the judge to believe that she was more involved in this matter.
Even if the judge has “serious reservations” about the credibility of the victim, he retains her “credible” testimony on the episode of “extreme violence”. Vanessa’s story makes it unlikely, according to the judge, that she herself was the author of the shot, as the defense suggested.
“The fact of having had a loaded weapon in one’s possession, the fact of having voluntarily become involved in a criminal environment and the fact of having assisted one’s spouse in renting the revolver do not deprive [la victime] of the right to be protected against violence at the hands of one’s spouse,” affirms the judge.
Sentencing submissions will take place in the coming weeks. Albano Pierre risks being deported from Canada because of his immigration status if he receives a sentence of more than six months in detention. He likely faces several years in prison for such crimes.
Me Jeanne Gagné and Me Sylvie Dulude represented the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions, while Me Julien Montpetit defended the accused.
*Fictitious name