Jimmy Méthot was beaten to death by his executioners. When he tried to flee, he was kidnapped and stabbed. The young man died in agony. One of the murderers is Véronique Manceaux. After five days of deliberations, the jury found her guilty of first-degree murder and indignity to a corpse.
“Guilty,” said the president of the jury on Saturday morning at the Montreal courthouse. In the accused box, Véronique Manceaux remained impassive. The consequences are enormous for the 38-year-old woman: she automatically receives a life sentence without the possibility of parole for 25 years.
The jurors were thus convinced beyond all reasonable doubt that Véronique Manceaux intended to kill Jimmy Méthot or to help her accomplice – a 17-year-old teenager – to kill the victim. The murder was committed with premeditation or in a context of kidnapping. It is unknown what “path” the jury took to reach this verdict, as the deliberations remain secret.
On the evening of September 6, 2021, Jimmy Méthot accompanied his girlfriend, Abigail*, to Véronique Manceaux. A 17-year-old teenager and his fifty-something mentor, violent criminal Everett Roger Clayton completed the disparate quintet. Although not friends, the five shared an interest in crack cocaine.
PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK
Jimmy Méthot
Under the influence of drugs, Véronique Manceaux began to accuse Jimmy Méthot of being a spy for her ex-spouse. According to the Crown’s theory, Véronique Manceaux then severely beat Jimmy Méthot with the help of the 17-year-old teenager. A knife was then used by one of the killers – it is not known which one – to finish off the victim.
At one point, Véronique Manceaux even offered a “last meal”, a chicken pie, to Jimmy Méthot, who was dying. The young man’s body was placed in a barrel in the garage.
The 17-year-old teenager – who cannot be identified – had already pleaded guilty to one count of first degree murder in the youth chamber. Due to his age, he got off with a sentence of nine years, of which only five years were served. When he pleaded guilty, the young man had placed most of the blame on Manceaux.
Conflicting testimonies
The Crown’s case had a significant gap: the two key witnesses gave contradictory testimony. The teenage murderer flatly refused to testify at one point, saying he did not even know the victim’s name. He was therefore charged with contempt of court. His previous testimony, at the preliminary inquiry, was presented to the jury. Now, his story was then different from that of Abigail.
If the jury returned such a verdict, it is likely that they believed Abigail’s testimony. The woman described, sometimes confusingly, the events of the evening which led to the death of her boyfriend. She was also drunk and under the influence of drugs that evening. After the murder, she helped Véronique Manceaux clean up the scene for days.
PHOTO FILED IN COURT
It was in this living room that Abigail observed her boyfriend being beaten to death.
The defense suggested to the jury that the teenager and his mentor Everett Roger Clayton – who died before the trial – were the sole murderers. The defense thus asked the jury to give Véronique Manceaux the benefit of reasonable doubt, especially since the main testimonies were contradictory.
Also, argued the defense, Abigail could have given biased testimony, as she has still not been tried for complicity and indignity to a corpse. As for the teenager, he perhaps had motives to lie, since he had benefited from a favorable sentence for adolescents. In all cases, caution was required, according to the defense.
These arguments were obviously not enough to convince the jurors who returned a unanimous verdict.
Jimmy Méthot’s relatives will be able to address Judge Daniel Royer in the coming days as part of a sentencing hearing.
Me Carl Devost Fortin and Me Fanie Lacroix defended Véronique Manceaux, while Me Marie-Claude Bourassa and Me Jasmine Guillaume represented the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP).
*Fictitious name