(Joliette) A couple who often “quabbled” with each other. A man “sad” to possibly be left by his partner. Screams of the victim heard from outside the day before his death. Friends of the couple gave the jury more context to the tumultuous relationship between Alexandre Boudreau-Chartrand and Andréane Ouellet on Friday.
The 38-year-old man has been on trial for a week for the second-degree murder of his wife and mother of their five children. Andréane Ouellet, 32, suffered injuries so serious that her face was not recognizable, according to a police officer. The circumstances of his death, which occurred two years ago, however, remain unclear.
According to the Crown’s theory, Alexandre Boudreau-Chartrand had “a lot of difficulty digesting the infidelities” of his partner and was “upset at his partner’s inability to maintain her sobriety.” However, large parts of the case cannot be revealed to the public.
The day before Andréane Ouellet’s death, Kimberly Wanke went around 7 p.m. to the Boudreau-Chartrand-Ouellet residence in Saint-Donat. From outside, she could hear screaming. “There was some arguing. I heard Andréane shouting, but I did not hear what was being said,” testified this neighbor and great friend of the family.
Alexandre Boudreau-Chartrand then went out through the side door, then spoke with her for about 20 minutes. “He told me he was arguing because she was jealous,” Kimberly Wanke said.
Under cross-examination, the witness agreed that Alexandre Boudreau-Chartrand was calm during their conversation. She also added that two people were screaming during the chicane.
Frequent bickering
Kimberly Wanke claims to have often witnessed arguments between the accused and the victim. “It was often problematic, linked to Andréane’s consumption. He often argued about this,” she testified.
PHOTO TAKEN FROM ANDRÉANE OUELLET’S FACEBOOK PAGE
Andréane Ouellet was killed in her home in Saint-Donat in September 2021
Note that the parties admit that during their relationship, the accused and the victim “exhibited verbal and psychological violence towards each other, and this, on a continuous basis”.
The family friend was also present during an event that occurred four months before the death of Andréane Ouellet. However, she was not questioned on this subject, since the Crown and the defense agreed on a version of the facts.
We thus learn that in May 2021, Andréane Ouellet cut her hand by hitting the window of a cupboard during a “quarrel on both sides”, while she was in a state of of intoxication. Alexandre Boudreau-Chartrand wanted to call for help, but his partner refused. He then called Kimberly Wanke to help convince her, which worked.
Another witness told the jury that Alexandre Boudreau-Chartrand had confided to him a few weeks before the murder that Andréane Ouellet was considering leaving him. “He was sad and angry at the same time. He was sad,” said this witness. However, the accused was not aggressive during this conversation.
Earlier this week, the jury viewed hundreds of photos from the crime scene. Several rooms in the family residence were indeed dotted with countless red droplets and pills. Strands of hair were even found in some places. Bermuda shorts with blood marks were also found still wet in the washer, which smelled of bleach.
According to the version of the accused at 911, Andréane Ouellet fell down the stairs the first time on the morning of her death. Alexandre Boudreau-Chartrand would have accompanied her to her bed, then left without her for an extremely important meeting for the couple. When he returned, an hour later, he discovered his partner’s body at the foot of the stairs. He assumes to 911 that she had an “overdose” and that she rolled down the stairs.
The trial continues next week before Judge Eric Downs. The prosecutors Me Valérie Michaud and Me Caroline Buist represents the public prosecutor. The accused is defended by Me Catherine Ranalli and Me Élise Pinsonnault.