Friends of Kim-Jessica Gagné, a Quebecer killed by her boyfriend in Toronto in July 2021, deplore the charges of second degree murder brought against her murderer. The woman’s ex-boyfriend pleaded guilty in Toronto on Nov. 10 and will be sentenced in January.
Mélanie Lapointe, Kim-Jessica Gagné’s best friend, learned on November 4 that Torontonian Bronson Lake would plead guilty to second-degree murder charges. This came as a surprise to those around the woman, who expected the man to face first-degree murder charges, which would have earned him a longer sentence. “I would have liked us to send a message [aux autres hommes] “says Mélanie Lapointe.
Bronson Lake initially faced charges of second-degree murder, but the prosecutor later reportedly informed the family that he had “everything necessary” to charge him with first-degree murder, according to Mélanie Lapointe. The victim’s best friend was ready to be interviewed in a trial even though the process would be “traumatic and difficult”, she said. But the plan for the Crown, who declined an interview request, is said to have subsequently changed.
The sentencing hearing in January will be one of the last opportunities for relatives to be heard by the justice system during victim impact statements. “I’m going to talk about domestic violence, I need to talk about it,” said Mélissa Brouillette, a friend of the victim who also lived in Toronto. “Kim went to bed thinking, ‘Tomorrow I’m starting a new stage in my life.’ How can you take a risk with someone like that? asks Mélanie Lapointe.
lit by life
The young woman’s decision to move to the Queen City was like many decisions made during her life: sudden and at the pace of her adventures. ” Carpe Diem, it was really Kim,” jokes Mélanie Lapointe. Kim-Jessica Gagné had met Torontonians during a trip to Nicaragua and then, after seeing them again in Western Canada, decided to follow them to the Queen City. Mélanie Lapointe was a bit worried about the choice of city — why not Montreal? she had said to herself, but she had been reassured to see her friend enjoying her job in the restaurant business.
A breakup, however, took place in 2020, about a year after she met her boyfriend. In November 2020, the Ontario government imposed new health measures that limited restaurants to take-out orders. The hours at the restaurant where Kim-Jessica worked were therefore not many. To save money, the couple chose to move to the grandmother’s house in Bronson Lake, an experience that would have gone wrong, given the feelings expressed by the grandmother towards Kim-Jessica Gagne. “That’s where it all fell apart. The turning point of his film is there,” says Mélanie Lapointe.
Mélanie Lapointe believes that the transition to the eldest may have changed the man. After a seven-month stay there, the couple moved back into their own place in early July 2021. Two weeks later, and days before Kim-Jessica Gagné started working at a top Toronto restaurant, Bronson Lake killed his girlfriend. “When you learn that your grandfather is dead, it’s something, but that your friend was murdered, it’s indescribable,” says Mélissa Brouillette with difficulty.
Long term impact
In the months following the death of Kim-Jessica Gagné, Mélanie Lapointe, her legs “sawn off”, had to speak to the investigators, organize the funeral of her friend, then her mother died. She only started mourning her best friend two or three months ago. “There, I feel the anger. I am angry with him and with me, ”she testifies. Watching the murderer virtually when he pleaded guilty on November 10, Mélissa Brouillette was filled with “indescribable hatred and sadness”.
The impact of Kim-Jessica Gagné’s death goes beyond the void created in the hearts of those close to her. Mélissa Brouillette confides that she experienced a trauma. She avoids returning to Gaspésie, where an ex-boyfriend lives who “destroyed” her psychologically. “Since it happened, a lot of things have come out of us,” she says. “I am not able to sleep and make a spouse, because if I trusted that man and he managed to do something so horrible, I could never out of everything doubt let someone into my life by telling me that I’m safe,” says Mélanie Lapointe.
On January 18, Mélanie Lapointe will be in Toronto to deliver a victim impact statement. The murderer will then know his sentence. She wants to tell the judge that Bronson Lake is a deceiver, that “the monster inside of him cannot be underestimated,” she says. Mélissa Brouillette has confidence in herself. “I find that she has good words and that she is strong,” she says about Mélanie Lapointe. Mélissa Brouillette, for her part, will not be there. On January 4, she leaves for Guatemala, from where she will follow the hearing. January 4 is also their friend’s birthday. “It’s just really a funny coincidence,” notes Mélissa Brouillette.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.