Teenager convicted of murder granted generous prison leave

Labonté stabbed to death a Laval man, 19, in a fit of rage at 2004 party

The man who murdered 19-year-old Laval resident Sébastien Lacasse in a fit of rage nearly eight years ago has been granted the right to unescorted leaves as he continues to serve his life sentence.

Maxime Labonté, now 25, was only 17 years old when he was part of a group that attacked Lacasse, in August 2004, over remarks he made during a backyard party that were directed at the wrong people.

Labonté and a group of his friends left the party and mulled over what Lacasse said at a nearby dépanneur. They headed back to the party, found Lacasse as he was heading home on his bicycle and assaulted him. Labonté pulled out a knife as Lacasse lay on the ground and stabbed him several times, delivering the fatal injuries as the young man pleaded for his life.

It was later revealed in Laval’s Youth Court that Labonté was full of rage long before he ever met Lacasse and had told a female friend, through an exchange on the Internet, that he wanted to kill anyone who crossed him.

Labonté was convicted of seconddegree murder and the sentencing stage of his case complicated. But, on Sept. 2, 2006, he became the first youth in Quebec to be sentenced as an adult under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, which had been adopted in 2003. Labonté’s parole eligibility was fixed at seven years.

On Tuesday, he appeared before the Parole Board of Canada for the first time. Based on a recommendation by a psychiatrist, the board members who heard his case decided to grant him unescorted leave privileges. According to a written summary of the decision, the psychiatrist determined a “gradual return to society” would be best in Labonté’s case. He has already taken part in several escorted leaves without incident. His first parole hearing is now scheduled for June 2014.

The summary notes Labonté has not been a problem while serving his time in a minimum-security penitentiary. The professionals who evaluated him describe his personality as immature, as opposed to delinquent.

The author of the summary noted: “You have succeeded in proving that you are capable to adapt to a (penitentiary) and you have gained the confidence of your (case-management team).”

The summary also notes Labonté has volunteered his time to people in need, has talked to students as part of a program to prevent violence and has trained to become an assistant to a pastry chef. He also still has the support of his parents who were in attendance for most, if not all, of his trial.

Labonté is only allowed to use the leaves to visit family and his girlfriend. He has been granted one 72-hour leave per month and a parole officer has to approve who and how many people he can visit.