Trial of Jano Vincent for murder | He used his van as a ‘weapon’ while attempting suicide, Crown says

Jano Vincent wanted to end his life. At the wheel of his pickup truck, a Ford F-150, he collided at 100 km/h on Highway 50. Although he survived, the other driver died instantly. Did he commit murder in his desperate attempt? This is the question that the jury will have to decide.

“The defendant used his Ford F-150 as a weapon which he turned against himself and Mr. Campion. That’s why he committed murder according to our theory. […] The accused was unable to manage his problems and his emotions in the right way,” said Crown prosecutor M.^e Steve Baribeau in his opening statement to the jury.

Jano Vincent, a 37-year-old man from Saint-Polycarpe, is accused of the second degree murder of Robert Campion. His trial opened Monday at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse. The victim, a 59-year-old man, was a “nature lover” who was returning from a camping trip in the Outaouais. His widow will be the first witness in the trial this Tuesday.

Suicide is a very delicate subject. The prosecutor reminded the jury that its role was not to “resolve a social debate”. “Suicide is an act of great distress and suffering. No one in this room is going to question that,” insisted M.^e Baribeau, who teams up with M^e Alexandre Dubois.

Jano Vincent’s desire to kill himself is the “motive for the crime”, according to the Crown. His life was in “disarray” in the fall of 2019. “Nothing was going well,” emphasized the prosecutor. Jano Vincent had been sued in civil court by his parents relating to the sale of a residence. Six days before the fatal head-on collision, the defendant settled the lawsuit out of court.

In the summer of 2020, Jano Vincent hand-wrote a 15-page letter to his parents before attempting suicide again. A document which will be at the heart of the trial. “This is not an ordinary letter written in ordinary circumstances. […] Pay particular attention to the content and comments emanating from the accused in this letter,” underlined Mr.^e Baribeau.

Several witnesses will also be called to testify on the personal situation of Jano Vincent at the time.

On the fateful day, Jano Vincent got into his Ford F-150. Around 12:38 p.m., on Highway 50, near Grenville-sur-la-Rouge (between Montreal and Ottawa), the accused drove “directly and deliberately” against the flow of traffic into the recreational vehicle driven by Robert Campion, according to the Crown.

“Keep in mind the force of impact that a head-to-head collision between two vehicles traveling at 100 km/h can cause. And the size of an F-150,” argued M^e Baribeau.

In the collective imagination, a murder is generally the act of a person using a gun or a knife to kill someone else, illustrated M^e Baribeau. However, other actions can constitute murder within the meaning of the law, he explained to the jury.

Jano Vincent committed murder, according to the prosecution, since he was aware that his action risked killing the driver of the other vehicle and that it was indifferent to him whether the death of this person resulted or not.

“By wanting to commit suicide and being aware of the risk that his conduct created, the accused committed murder,” insisted the prosecutor.

The parties also admit that the collision was not caused by alcohol, drugs or a mechanical problem.

M^e Baribeau called on jurors to use their “common sense” to evaluate the evidence presented at trial. He reminded them that they were not investigators.

“You’re not like CSI. […] If the collision had been filmed by any satellite, we would have shown it to you. If we don’t show you a video, it’s because one doesn’t exist,” explained M.^e Baribeau.

The trial is scheduled for a few weeks before Judge Mario Longpré of the Superior Court of Quebec. M^e Robert Bellefeuille defends the accused.