The Montrealer who coldly murdered his two sisters in broad daylight in addition to trying to kill his neighbor is an “irredeemable monster” who must be put out of harm’s way, chanted the only survivor of the siblings.
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“For me, he is irrecoverable, he is a monster to be put out of harm’s way forever. I am very worried that his incarceration could be shortened, because who knows what he could do, he has nothing left to lose,” testified Michel Leblanc this Wednesday at the Montreal courthouse.
Sitting in the accused box, his brother Denis Leblanc did not seem to mind this devastating testimony. In fact, he didn’t even seem to care, preferring to mutter in his corner to disturb the people in the room.
This is because the 63-year-old assassin has always been “refractory to rules and authority”, according to his brother, who painted a dark portrait.
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Michel Leblanc was at the Montreal courthouse on February 28, 2024 to testify in court about the consequences that the murders of his sisters by Denis Leblanc, his brother, had on him. PHOTO MICHAEL NGUYEN
Photo Michaël Nguyen
And it culminated in a broad daylight shooting on Ontario Street in October 2020.
Diane Leblanc (left), 61, and Sylvie Leblanc, 56, were murdered by their brother Denis on October 3, 2020, in Montreal.
Photos courtesy of the Court
That day, the murderer’s two sisters, Sylvie and Diane, went to his house to check on him. Except that after placing the 57- and 61-year-old women a few meters from him, supposedly to respect social distancing, he shot them each in the head with his hunting weapon.
Just afterwards, the assassin tried to kill his neighbor who refused his advances and who had already filed a complaint against him for harassment, but the latter managed to escape.
“I was supposed to be the third [à être tuée]», testified Lina Petrilli, explaining that she had been traumatized.
Poignant testimonies
The police quickly arrived on the scene, but Leblanc was ready, with weapons and ammunition scattered throughout his home in order to sustain a siege. Exchanges of gunfire occurred, and Leblanc, who wanted to target women, was hit in the leg before being arrested, cigarette in his mouth.
Photo filed as evidence at the trial of Denis Leblanc, accused of the murder of his two sisters, Diane and Sylvie. The event occurred on October 3, 2020 in Montreal. This photo was taken by neighbor Lina Petrilli, who escaped Leblanc’s shots Courtesy of the court
Photo courtesy of the court
At the end of his trial, he was found guilty of first degree murder, but also of attempted murder and for his illegal firearms.
And this Wednesday, several relatives of the victims gave moving testimonies in tribute to the victims.
“A second mother, the one I had chosen, was taken from me. It’s as if time had stopped,” testified Sylvie Leblanc’s daughter-in-law.
The mother of the victims and the accused, for her part, deplored the death of two of her daughters, while recalling sweet memories with the two women.
“I whisper to myself that she is present with me,” wrote Sylvie Leblanc’s son in a letter full of resilience read by a speaker.
Lina Petrilli was at the Montreal courthouse on February 28, 2024 to testify in court about the consequences that the attempted murder by Denis Leblanc had on her. PHOTO MICHAEL NGUYEN
Photo Michaël Nguyen
He drags out the cause
Unusually, even a police officer present on site wrote a letter, reminding us that behind the uniform were human beings who above all want to help citizens.
But all these testimonies could well have not been heard, since the assassin tried to stall the hearing by dismissing his lawyers this Wednesday morning. Butare Pierre-Olivier Bolduc and Katerine Brabant of the Crown successfully insisted that the victims and their loved ones be able to express themselves. Especially since the accused is not the first to try to delay the proceedings by dismissing his lawyers.
Leblanc, who will receive life in prison without the possibility of parole before 25 years of incarceration, will see his sentence made official soon by Judge Mario Longpré.
What they said:
“They were loving, altruistic, generous women… We have lost their wisdom, we will never be able to be happy like others again” -The sons of Diane Leblanc
“Mom won’t come back…” – Sylvie Leblanc’s minor son
“He didn’t just kill them, he executed them, I’m convinced,” -Michel Leblanc, brother of the victims and the assassin
“I’m trying to rebuild myself, one day at a time, in fear and insecurity. » -Lina Petrilli, victim of attempted murder