The child now known as “the girl from Granby” had left her home in the middle of the night, hours before she was found lifeless on the floor of her bedroom.
This was reported in court on Monday by Richard Samson, a neighbor who lives in the house just across from that of the 7-year-old girl.
He thus testified at the trial of the mother-in-law, accused of the kidnapping and murder of the child.
The 38-year-old defendant, who cannot be identified by court order, has pleaded not guilty to the crimes she is charged with and has been detained since her arrest. His jury trial is taking place at the Trois-Rivières courthouse.
Mr. Samson told the 14 jurors that his doorbell rang around 1:40 a.m., the night leading up to the morning of April 29, 2019.
He quickly dressed and headed for the front door of his house. He reported hearing twigs cracking and squealing.
Out on his steps, he saw no one. But he heard a voice in the night, that of the accused who called out to him: “Ah, Richard, [nom de la fillette] escaped from her room. I’ve been running after 5 minutes. His voice was “angry, frustrated” and came from the gallery in front of his house.
Then he saw a person – who cannot be identified, by court order – bringing the child home, trying to reassure her. The little one “whimpered”. He heard her say “mom”.
The Crown theory is that the girl died after being wrapped in duct tape.
Richard Samson is also the owner of the house rented by the accused.
He therefore went there on a few occasions to have the lease renewed or to carry out repairs.
He described to the jury that when he went there after advising of the time of his passage, the residence was empty. Besides, he described it as a “lifeless” house, with the curtains still drawn. He rarely saw the girl playing outside.
Note that publication bans prevent journalists from revealing the identity of the accused as well as that of other people who will testify. Certain pieces of evidence that will be revealed during the trial will also not be immediately available.
The trial, which is due to last at least 6 weeks, continues Monday afternoon.