He was driving his friend to an unknown address without knowing that they were going to commit the irreparable: the driver involved in a triple murder that occurred in 2021 in the Rivière-des-Prairies area pleaded guilty last week to a charge of homicide involuntary. He claims to have had no idea that his co-defendants were going to shoot in the direction of a group that day.
What there is to know
Marlon Francisco Villa-Guzman, accused of taking part in a triple murder in Rivière-des-Prairies, pleaded guilty to a reduced count of manslaughter last week.
The man in his twenties received 10 years in prison. He admitted to driving the car to the crime scene, but says he had no idea a fatal shooting was coming.
Marlon Francisco Villa-Guzman received 10 years in prison on Wednesday, a common suggestion from prosecutor Me Anne-Andrée Charette and her lawyer Me Celia Hadid.
August 2, 2021, 6:51 p.m. Five people were shot during a shooting in front of a building on Perras Boulevard, in the Rivière-des-Prairies sector in Montreal. This shooting – which left three people dead and two injured – shook the residential area. A triple murder, in broad daylight.
Jerry Willer Jean-Baptiste, 29 years old, Jefferson Syla, 29 years old, and Molière Dantes, 63 years old, were shot.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Bullet impact in a window of the building near which the shooting occurred in August 2021 in Rivière-des-Prairies
In total, 26 shell casings line the surroundings of the targeted location, according to the joint statement of facts filed in court. The shots were fired from two moving vehicles, a Mazda 6 followed by a black Pontiac Grand Prix. The black car belongs to Marlon Francisco Villa-Guzman, who was driving it on the day of the tragedy.
He pleaded guilty last week to manslaughter and aggravated assault. He was charged with premeditated murder shortly after his arrest in October 2021. Three other men, whose identities are protected by an order, are believed to have taken part in the triple homicide.
Fear of his friend
The 28-year-old man claims, according to court documents obtained by The Press, not knowing the victims and not being associated with any group. According to his response to the accusation, he was simply doing a favor for a friend – his co-defendant in this case – by lending and driving his car. Mr. Villa-Guzman, however, is “afraid of him,” according to the facts reported in court. He is therefore crumbling under the pressure while his friend “yells at him” on the phone and then tells him “that they have to go somewhere”.
“We don’t promise or give him anything in exchange for this service, but sometimes people use him because he doesn’t know how to say no,” we can read in the summary of the facts.
Without giving details, his alleged accomplice leads him towards a street perpendicular to Boulevard Perras, where they come across the second vehicle involved. Mr. Villa-Guzman recognizes the Mazda car of a man he knows, who is also accused of the triple homicide. Two other people are seated in the back of the car, including a young man he knows from the neighborhood where he grew up, Montreal North.
A bad feeling
The driver does not participate in the discussion, but understands that his mission is to drive past the address to see who is there, nothing more. He says he did not hear or have any discussions regarding shootings, guns, or violence.
Despite the mounting anxiety, a bad feeling and his desire to leave the area, he stays for fear of reprisals.
His fears were confirmed when his friend pulled out a gun and started shooting, according to his account. The panicked driver stepped on the accelerator to leave the scene as quickly as possible and prevent the shooting from escalating, according to the joint statement of facts.
“At this point he is deafened and in shock. The only thing he says to [son ami] during the journey is “c’est fucked up” or “what the fuck”. »
Once he arrived home, he learned through the media that the shooting had caused victims.
He stays up until early morning, consumed by the fear of being arrested. He is unhappy when his friend suggests he get rid of the vintage car he drove during the shooting. He ended up selling the vehicle for $500.
Mr. Villa-Guzman, in tears, apologized to the victims’ families during sentencing submissions on Wednesday.
The trial of the three other accused in this triple homicide case is scheduled for next September.