Denis Leblanc wanted to cause “carnage”. Above all, he wanted to kill policewomen. Women first. His firearms and ammunition were ready. When his two sisters arrive, Denis Leblanc coldly shoots them down. His next target: a neighbor who had rejected him. Then, the last stand. A shooting in the middle of the street in front of the police.
At least this is the theory that the Crown intends to prove at the trial of Denis Leblanc which began Monday at the Montreal courthouse. The 63-year-old man is accused of the premeditated murders of his sisters Diane and Sylvie Leblanc, as well as attempted murder of his neighbor Lina Petrilli and police officers Patrick Rochon and Sébastien Houle.
Early October 2020. Denis Leblanc lives on Ontario Street in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district. The day before or two days before the murders, he mentioned to a friend that his guns were loaded and drawn. The man is very clear in his intentions.
“ [Il lui dit] : If the police show up, they shoot them. If female police officers show up, he will shoot the women first,” Crown prosecutor M tells the jury.e Pierre-Olivier Bolduc, in his opening statement.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Crown prosecutor Me Pierre-Olivier Bolduc in 2020
The 3rd of October. Fateful day. Denis Leblanc speaks with a neighbor. He tells her there will be “carnage in the alley.” Like his friend the day before, he tells the neighbor that he will shoot the female police officers. Denis Leblanc doesn’t stop there. He shows the neighbor a hunting weapon and ammunition and tells him that other weapons are positioned near the doors and windows inside.
“His sisters arrive shortly. The first two women that the accused meets on his way that morning are Diane and Sylvie. And they are the first two victims,” says Me Bolduc.
After a brief discussion, according to the Crown, Denis Leblanc shot his sister Diane, 61, in the cheek. Then, he shoots his sister, Sylvie, 56 years old. They don’t have a chance.
“But it still doesn’t stop there. He continues his carnage,” says Me Bolduc.
Denis Leblanc steps over the bodies and then targets his neighbor Lina Petrilli, a woman in whom he had an interest, but who had rejected his advances, according to the Crown. The accused goes into Lina Petrilli’s apartment, breaks the door and opens fire. According to the evidence, Lina narrowly avoided the worst and took refuge with a neighbor.
Denis Leblanc leaves his building, hunting weapon in his hands. The police arrive at the same moment and barricade themselves at the corner of the street. “His desire to shoot female police officers will not be fulfilled. Only men are present. Four police officers on duty,” says the Crown prosecutor, who teams up with Mr.e Katerine Brabant.
The accused opened fire on the police officers twice. He was finally hit in one leg and collapsed to the ground.
The Crown’s first witness, SPVM officer Janie St-Hilaire, told the jury about the discovery of the bodies of the Leblanc sisters. From the alley, the policewoman saw a body curled up on the spiral staircase outside. On her way there, she comes face to face with another body at the bottom of the balcony. In both cases, the deaths are obvious. The scene is littered with blood.
Officer St-Hilaire continues her search for victims inside the apartment. She notices a first hunting weapon, placed against the bedroom wall. Then in another room, a second hunting weapon, as well as “carefully” placed ammunition.
“I said to myself: it was like a hunting blind. It was someone who had prepared,” the policewoman testified.
Me Alexandre Garel and Me François Létourneau-Prézeau defends the accused.