SAINT-GEORGES | A 52-year-old former SPVM police officer was the victim of the first murder of the year to occur in Chaudière-Appalaches on Sunday evening, when he was killed in his own residence in Saint-Georges by a man in crisis.
The event which was initially considered a suspicious death occurred around 9:30 p.m., in a residence in the 187e Street.
When they arrived on scene, authorities discovered an unresponsive man with serious injuries to his body. His death was noted on the spot, said Frédéric Deshaies, spokesperson for the provincial police force. The victim’s remains were finally recovered by a funeral home around 11:30 a.m. Monday morning.
The event took place on 187th Street, in Saint-Georges.
Jeremy Bernier
According to our sources, the victim is Sylvio Champagne, a 52-year-old former officer of the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM).
In 2017, he earned the Police Distinguished Service Medal, an award given to officers who have 20 years of service and have served in an exemplary manner.
Retired from his position as a detention officer at the northern division operational center of the police force, he lived on 187e Rue, in Saint-Georges, for at least two years.
“We never had a problem with him, but we almost never saw anyone come in. He was very reserved, discreet,” says Jean-Yves Bougie, a neighbor of the deceased, stressing that he had been living alone for some time.
“I will kill you all”
Mr. Bougie claims to have woken up after hearing several muffled noises “which could resemble gunshots”, around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. Police officers rushed in just a few minutes later.
Another man in his fifties, from Saint-Georges, was then arrested at the scene of the tragedy. Making rambling remarks, he was taken to hospital to assess his state of health.
Jean-Yves Bougie, a neighbor of the victim, heard muffled noises shortly before the police arrived.
Jeremy Bernier
“He was shouting: ‘I’m going to kill you all!’ He was completely in crisis. They needed three patrol officers to control him and put him in the patrol car,” says Mr. Bougie, specifying that the man in question seemed to have blood on his face.
Nebulous circumstances
The circumstances of the tragedy, however, remain unclear. The link between the two men has not yet been established and the events that occurred in the residence have not yet been revealed.
Sylvio Champagne, retired from the SPVM, had lived there for at least two years.
Jeremy Bernier
“Of course we can’t wait to find out what happened. If it’s a person who came in there at random to commit a murder, it’s worrying,” sighs Marjorie Lachance, another neighbor who witnessed the hubbub of the arrest of the suspect in this case.
According to our information, the suspect in question was released from the hospital Monday morning.
Accused of murder
The 53-year-old man finally appeared shortly before 5:30 p.m.
Dressed in a dark sweater, Tony Maheux, an individual with no criminal history, was formally charged with second-degree murder.
By videoconference, the impassive fifty-year-old made a hand sign to confirm to Judge Thomas Jacques that he understood the situation.
No plea was entered. The disclosure of the evidence could take place on Friday January 26. Until then, the accused, also residing in Saint-Georges, will remain behind bars. At this stage, no details surrounding the facts have been revealed.
The various actors in the judicial system stepped on the accelerator at the very end of the day Monday since the suspected person detained following his arrest must appear before a judge within 24 hours of his arrest.
–With the collaboration of Jean-François Racine and Maxime Deland, Agence QMI