Three men break down the door of an apartment in LaSalle. Inside, the children are getting ready for school. The assailants grabbed the father of the family and dragged him into a room. Despite the father’s pleas, a man nicknamed “Satan” shoots him in the head in front of his wife and two children.
Posted at 3:35 p.m.
This is the thesis that the Crown intends to prove at the jury trial of Gretzky Marcellus and Jeffrey Romel Nauzinor, accused of the first degree murder of Osvaldo Pineda Melgar. A third co-defendant, Omar Araghoune, is on trial for manslaughter with a firearm.
“They arrived, parked, broke down the door, fired and fled. All in less than 10 minutes”, summed up Thursday morning in her opening statement the Crown prosecutor Me Nadia Bérubé, who teams up with Me Louis Bouthillier and M.e Jasmine William.
This home invasion took place on the morning of September 16, 2019 on rue Bédard in the borough of LaSalle in Montreal. “This morning looked like an ordinary morning of a father who is busy preparing his children for school,” Me Bérubé told the jury.
The victim, Osvaldo Pineda Melgar, alias “Loco”, was not, however, targeted by chance by his assailants. “Loco was targeted,” said Me Berube.
According to the Crown theory, the three assailants enter the apartment by breaking down the front door. The first is Jeffrey Romel Nauzinor, armed with a gun. The victim then tells his spouse that the individuals want to rob him: “They are going to rob us,” he blurts out.
Also according to the version of the Pursuit, Jeffrey Romel Nauzinor, alias “Satan”, grabs the victim by the hair and drags him towards the bedroom, while Gretzky Marcellus, alias “Flawless” hits the victim asking him where he is. the stock “. Their accomplice, Omar Araghoune, aka “Pooh”, goes to the kitchen, “looking for something”, according to the Prosecution.
Osvaldo Pineda Melgar was finally shot in the back of the head, in front of his wife and their two children. The shooter is Jeffrey Romel Nauzinor, the prosecution maintains. While the firearm was never found, a casing was discovered in the bedroom. A balaclava with traces of Gretzky Marcellus’ DNA was also found near the scene.
Extensive expert evidence will be presented by the prosecution during the trial. The two vehicles driven by the defendants — a Land Rover and a Malibu — will also be at the heart of the trial. These rental vehicles were indeed equipped with GPS, which make it possible to follow the route of the accused.
The jury will also be able to hear telephone conversations from the recorded defendants without their knowledge. The police also managed to put microphones inside homes or vehicles as part of the investigation.
Presided over by Judge Mario Longpré, the trial took place at the Gouin Judicial Center in Montreal. Omar Araghoune is defended by Me Alexandre Garel and M.e Louella Giguere.
Jeffrey Romel Nauzinor is defended by Me Gunar Dubé and M.e Xavier Desrosiers, while Gretzky Marcellus is represented by Me Jean-Pierre Sharpe and M.e Camille Chabot.