(Laval) Manuel Savoie was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for orchestrating the kidnapping of a man in Laval, killed by an accomplice during a mad race on the highway. The death of Kellen Seow, a “super dad”, left an indelible mark on his family.
“He was a star in our lives, he was our sun. And then, March 21, 2017. My sun went out. Darkness has set in. The knife that cut her thigh also pierced my heart. […] My soul mate is gone. He is a father for my children who has disappeared, ”said the widow of the victim in a heartbreaking letter filed in court.
Kellen Seow was not randomly targeted by his assailants, since he gravitated in the world of narcotics. However, the consequences of his death are very real on his loved ones. He was first and foremost an “exceptional” father and a “smiling, funny and endearing” man, insists his widow.
The “dramatic” consequences for the victim’s family were highlighted by Judge Eric Downs among the aggravating factors in the imposition of the sentence. The magistrate on Friday endorsed the joint suggestion of the parties by imposing a 10-year sentence on Manuel Savoie for manslaughter, of which about half remains to be served.
Manuel Savoie had received an order in 2017 to kidnap Kellen Seow and transport him to his sponsor. To do this, he had asked for the help of two accomplices, Marc Laflamme-Berthelot and “X”, a collaborating witness whose identity is protected and who was sentenced to eight years for manslaughter.
However, nothing went as planned. The three assailants forced Kellen Seow into a vehicle at the exit of a restaurant in Sainte-Dorothée. A wave of panic settled in the vehicle when Marc Laflamme-Berthelot discovered a firearm in Kellen Seow’s coat.
In the middle of the chaos, the kidnapped man is suffocated by “X”, while he tries to attack Manuel Savoie, at the wheel. Marc Laflamme-Berthelot inflicts numerous knife wounds on Kellen Seow, including a fatal one in the thigh. The man was then released on Highway 13, where he died.
Among the aggravating factors, the judge noted the fact that Manuel Savoie was the instigator of the kidnapping and had removed all traces of the homicide in the vehicle. The judge also considered as mitigating factors his admission of guilt, his family situation, the “felt” condolences expressed to the victim’s family and the fact that he had not used the knife.
As for Marc Laflamme-Berthelot, Crown Prosecutor Me Karine Dalphond asked that he be assessed as a long-term or dangerous offender. Me David Petranic represents the latter, while Me Julie Lepage and M.e Kristina Markovic defend Manuel Savoie.