A teenager who had participated in a “massacre” that ended in murder in Lachine was awkward at the trial of another accused by repeating that he did not remember anything, even if it meant being accused of contempt of court. court.
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“I don’t remember what I was doing that night. I don’t remember where it was. In truth, I don’t remember much,” a teenage murderer testified coldly this Wednesday at the Montreal courthouse.
With answers as imprecise as they were short, the teenager testified at the trial of Véronique Manceaux, accused of the first degree murder of Jimmy Méthot.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COURT Véronique Manceaux, accused of the first degree murder of Jimmy Méthot. PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COURT
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COURT
According to the Crown, Mr. Méthot, 27, went to the accused’s house in September 2021. An argument broke out and Manceaux hit the victim, who tried to flee.
Jimmy Méthot, victim of a sordid murder in September 2021 in Montreal. PHOTO taken from Jimmy Méthot’s Facebook page
Photo taken from Facebook
A massacre”
His attackers, including the teenager, allegedly prevented him from doing so and tortured him, among other things by making him drink flammable liquid. And after serving him a “last meal,” they finished him off.
“I don’t want to die like that,” were the victim’s last words.
During a search of Véronique Manceaux, the police focused on this box of chicken pie. According to the Crown, the victim was served a “last meal” before being killed in the residence.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COURT
A cleaning of the premises was then carried out, with the help of a friend of Manceaux.
“She told me that they took a machete and that they ran after a guy and that they went crazy on him to the point where it was a massacre,” this woman testified last week.
Charcoal lighters were discovered in the home of Véronique Manceaux, where Jimmy Méthot was allegedly killed.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COURT
However, if the Crown wanted to have the teenager testify, the latter was not tempted to cooperate, even claiming that he did not remember anything, not even the name of the victim.
“Jimmy [Méthot]? No, I don’t know who it is,” he said.
As for Manceaux, the young man suggested that he did not know her, referring to her as “the woman”, adding that he did not remember the murder. And this, even if Me Jasmine Guillaume of the Crown reminded him that he had pleaded guilty to murder, receiving 9 years in custody.
“It’s possible, I don’t know,” he later said casually.
A first aid kit with soiled bandages was found at the home of Véronique Manceaux.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COURT
Contempt of court
The Crown, however, reminded him that he had signed a document where he admitted certain facts. Faced with the witness’s lack of cooperation, the prosecutor then played the young person’s testimony from a previous hearing in the courtroom.
Much more voluble, the latter was then much more precise in his answers. However, the jury was only able to hear the first minutes of the recording, since the young person quickly got up to end the exercise.
“I’m sorry but I’m tired, put me in contempt of court, I’m done with all that, sorry,” said the teenage murderer who is now an adult.
Faced with this situation, Judge Daniel Royer ended the hearing for the day, before explaining the situation to the jury.
“He does not want to testify, I explained to him that it was an obligation,” the magistrate told the jurors. I gave him the rest of the day to think, if he refuses I will cite him for contempt of court, it could have serious consequences for him. We’ll see if he changes his mind.”
The hearings will therefore resume this Thursday, without anyone knowing what could happen. But the judge was clear: even if the teenager simply refused to testify, the trial “will continue, but in another way”.