A judge says the state has “failed miserably” in dealing with a man who struggled with mental health issues and drug abuse, who ended up killing his wife during a crack-induced delirium.
• Read also: He admits to having killed and burned his wife, on crack
“Despite all the violence of this fateful day, the proposed sentence is not contrary to public order and takes into account the elements of a mental health nature”, launched in the morning the judge Sylvain Lépine, before ratifying the joint suggestion of an eight-year prison sentence to Pascal Arseneault, at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse.
“We must take into consideration factors related to a growing problem in our society,” he continued.
Last March, the 50-year-old man admitted that he was the author of the manslaughter of his spouse Louise Avon, 64, which occurred in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts on March 31, 2022.
In the snow
That evening, the latter had consumed a large quantity of crack, he who had been in relapse for a few months, after having been abstinent for 12 years.
He stabbed his wife nine times before setting fire to their home and leaving. The police found him lying in the snow, armed with a knife, and in possession of 16 g of crack.
Arseneault made delusional remarks, he said he was a ninja and believed that his spouse of the last 12 years was a robot.
In the Laurentians, this couple was known as the owners of the landscaping company Les Pas Verts du Nord.
Nothing to avoid the worst
During the legal proceedings, Arseneault claimed to have been ridiculed by the authorities, who allegedly did not take his substance abuse and mental health issues seriously.
“The tragic events that led to the death of the victim once again demonstrate the devastation caused by the consumption of narcotics,” said Judge Lépine. The whole of society pays the price for these productions and drug trafficking with dramatic consequences. The last few years, with the pandemic, have been difficult for all citizens.”
The magistrate notably recognized that the reduction in staff had a “significant impact” in public services, both in health and in terms of education and justice.
12 talks
He, however, lamented that it was “frankly incomprehensible and even shocking” that no concrete action had been taken to avert the worst in this case.
“The lack of a cohesive mental health program and thoughtful policing threatens public safety. Support for the accused should have been put into action to avoid such a tragedy,” he said.
Indeed, no less than 12 police interventions had been necessary in less than six months to manage Arseneault’s toxic delusions.
“Even more shocking, a few days before the homicide on March 29, 2022, the accused was arrested at his home in the midst of a crisis and delirious and was taken to hospital. He will be released six hours later,” lamented the judge.
The latter argued that “the lack of coordination between police interactions and the health system has resulted in the state failing miserably in its role of protecting the public”.
He concluded that no prison sentence can make up for the loss of “a person as kind as Mrs. Louise Avon”.