Kevin Tate, sentenced to more than eight years in prison for having plotted the murder of the best friend of the kingpin Raynald Desjardins shot dead in Montreal in January 2013, has been denied his parole in recent days.
Tate, 39, was part of a group of individuals of red allegiance, Unit 44, from the Bo-gars, who observed the victim, Gaetan Gosselin, for two days before shooting him in front of his home. he was taking out his trash.
Members of the same group were also convicted for the assassination of Vincenzo Scuderi, right-hand man of the late Montreal mafia clan leader Giuseppe De Vito, an ally of Desjardins, a few days later.
PHOTO ARCHIVES PRESS
The victim Gaetan Gosselin, trusted man and friend of Raynald Desjardins
In front of the parole board, Tate explained that a longtime friend asked him to do surveillance in exchange for money. He said he did surveillance twice for an hour, that he was not present during the murder and that he was “disturbed” when he learned of the age of the victim (69 years old).
Hectic incarceration
The commissioners questioned Tate on the fact that between October 2021 and last March, he was involved in an altercation at the establishment, participated in sports bets, and brought in illegal objects believed to be used for the consumption of cannabis and other drugs in his cell.
The correctional services suspect him of having been involved in institutional cannabis trafficking.
“It’s my indulgence,” Tate said, adding not to do anything illegal because cannabis use is permitted outside the walls.
The wiretap showed that Tate allegedly received money transfers by email in November 2021.
He would have made a request for disaffiliation from gangs of red allegiance but the prison authorities found that he still had telephone communications with individuals linked to these groups.
His life threatened
In September 2022, police officers from the Sûreté du Québec met with detainees, including Tate, to tell them that there were contracts on their heads. One of the hypotheses is that the contract stems from a conflict between two rival gangs in Montreal. But Tate said he did not know where the threat came from and added that he would be extra vigilant when he returned to the community.
“Your Case Management Team (CMT) believes that you pose a real threat to others. You present a low potential for social reintegration and an unacceptable risk to society. Your EGC considers that the deterrent aspect of incarceration is absent”, write the commissioners in their decision, while underlining however some progress.
The commissioners refused to grant Tate day parole in a halfway house and full parole.
They are already imposing severe special conditions on him in view of his statutory release – at two-thirds of his sentence – scheduled for next spring.
It is then considered that Tate is subject to electronic surveillance, presumably with the help of a GPS bracelet.
Tate will not be able to meet individuals involved in criminal activities, will have to seek and keep a job, will not be able to use drugs, will have to have only one telephone and only one SIM card, will have to show his supervisors the information contained in his telephone and never clear, he will have to stay in a designated community residential facility, disclose all his financial transactions and not frequent drinking establishments.
To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514 285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of The Press.