(Quebec) The presentation of the evidence has ended at the trial of Carl Girouard, accused of having walked the streets of Old Quebec with a saber, on the evening of Halloween 2020, and of having killed two people and injured five others .
Posted at 5:46 p.m.
Closing arguments will begin Wednesday at the Quebec City courthouse, beginning with counsel for Girouard, who faces two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
Girouard, 26, is accused of using a Japanese-style sword, called a ‘katana’, with a 76.9 cm blade, to kill François Duchesne, 56, and Suzanne Clermont, 61, on 31 October 2020. He had also injured five other people that evening.
The accused has admitted to the attacks, but maintains that he was not criminally responsible for his actions on account of mental disorder.
A psychiatrist testifying for the defense told jurors that on the night of the murders, the defendant suffered from schizophrenia and psychotic delirium.
The Crown, for its part, pointed out that Girouard’s criminal acts were premeditated. A psychiatrist called by the prosecution told jurors the defendant suffered from a personality disorder and was on a “narcissistic quest” to vent his resentment towards society.
Defense attorney Pierre Gagnon completed Monday his lengthy cross-examination of an expert Crown witness, psychiatrist Sylvain Faucher, who argued that Girouard knew the difference between right and wrong on the night of the murders.
Judge Richard Grenier told the 11 jurors on Monday that he would instruct them for two days and place them in solitary confinement next Monday, but he said he would change that schedule if the jury wished.