Murder of Cédrika Provencher | Evidence and DNA found at the site of Cédrika’s bones

DNA was discovered on “evidence” found on the site of the bones of little Cédrika Provencher, Jonathan Bettez’s lawyer revealed in court on Tuesday. Evidence that could potentially exonerate the man who remains the number one police suspect in this murder which marked Quebec in 2007.

“ [Il y a] an analysis report, where DNA that had been found on the evidence at the site of the bones was analyzed. If this analysis revealed that it is not Jonathan Bettez, this is an exculpatory element. If it revealed that it was Jonathan Bettez, I have the right to know it,” pleaded M^e Jessy Héroux, Jonathan Bettez’s lawyer, at the Montreal courthouse.

Who owns this DNA? This information was not revealed in court. In any case, this is the first time that the presence of DNA at the site of Cédrika Provencher’s bones has been publicly confirmed. Do the “evidence” mentioned refer to bones, clothing or other items left behind by the murderer? This remains a mystery. And at this stage of the legal process, it is likely to remain so.

The secrecy surrounding the bones of Cédrika Provencher, discovered in 2015, found itself at the heart of the debate Tuesday during a preliminary hearing in the $10 million lawsuit filed by Jonathan Bettez and his family against the Sûreté du Québec ( SQ) and the government. Essentially, Mr. Bettez accuses them of having ruined his life by falsely presenting him as the murderer of the little girl who disappeared in 2007.

The debates which took place Tuesday before Judge Gregory Moore concern preliminary questions of disclosure of evidence. So it’s not about the trial. The Bettez camp is demanding to obtain the notes of an SQ investigator relating, among other things, to the bones of the 9-year-old girl. The Attorney General of Quebec (PGQ), who represents the SQ, is opposed to this and refers to a “fishing trip” by the plaintiffs.

According to M^e Héroux, the SQ could have evidence likely to exonerate Jonathan Bettez.

Furthermore, elements held by the SQ could make it possible to conclude that the girl’s death was accidental, argued M.^e Heroux. “ [Si] the way the bones were found suggests that it may have been an accident, it’s an exculpatory element that has been ignored. They say it’s murder. What is the basis for saying this? », even asked Jonathan Bettez’s lawyer.

In the eyes of the PGQ, the “technique” which made it possible to identify Cédrika Provencher is not “relevant” for the Bettez camp.

Also, M^e Héroux wants to obtain the investigator’s notes to find out what she said to Cédrika Provencher’s parents during the investigation. ” We know that [l’enquêtrice] informed them of certain things as he went along,” the lawyer said. A closed-door debate should take place on Wednesday to resolve the issue of the investigator’s notes.

If M^e Héroux is keen on these documents, it is because he criticizes the Sûreté du Québec for having “ignored exculpatory elements” during the investigation and for having “been relentless” on Jonathan Bettez.

His name made the rounds in Quebec when he was accused of child pornography in 2016. However, two years later, Jonathan Bettez was acquitted by a judge who criticized the police for abusive actions. Mr. Bettez and his family then filed a lawsuit for damages, accusing the SQ of its actions of “incredible cruelty”.

“The child pornography case does not come out of nowhere, it arrives because we want to find proof [pour l’enquête de meurtre]. […] What we want to do is scare Jonathan, his family, stress him out so that there will be confessions,” pleaded M^e Héroux, pointing to his client, seated in the front row in the courtroom.

The PGQ also demanded a closed session for all hearings scheduled for this week. However, Judge Gregory Moore ruled in favor of the media to allow public debates to the extent possible. The magistrate thus plans to impose non-publication orders on a case-by-case basis during the debates.