Marc-André Grenon will not present a defense at his trial for murder and sexual assault of a 19-year-old student, Guylaine Potvin, in April 2000 in Jonquière. This also means that he will not testify.
His lawyers announced this position Monday morning at his trial which has been taking place at the Chicoutimi courthouse since mid-January.
An accused person has no obligation to present a defense or to testify at trial.
It is the Crown which has the burden of proof, that is to say, it must demonstrate the guilt of an accused beyond a reasonable doubt. If the accused believes that the evidence offered to the jury is not convincing enough, he or she may choose not to present a defense.
The college student was found murdered at home, in her apartment in Jonquière, on April 28, 2000. Her undressed body showed signs of violence.
At trial, the forensic pathologist testified that she had been strangled to death.
Damning DNA evidence was offered at trial, linking biological fluids taken from the crime scene to Marc-André Grenon.
Marc-André Grenon was arrested in October 2022 in Granby by investigators from the Disappearances and Unresolved Files Division of the Sûreté du Québec, more than 20 years after the murder of the young student.
The judge and lawyers must now agree on the instructions that will be given to the jury for their deliberations on the fate that will be reserved for the accused. Then, they will be confined for as long as it takes to reach a verdict.
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