Man charged with first- degree murder in the death of his pregnant partner
BELOEIL Alexandre Gendron has been formally charged in the death of his partner, Cheryl Bau-Tremblay, who was five months pregnant.
Gendron, 35, made a brief appearance at the courthouse in Ste-Hyacinthe on Friday morning on a charge of first- degree murder. He remained passive, his hands resting in front of his grey T- shirt. He kept his gaze straight, not looking over at Bau- Tremblay’s family in the front row.
Police found Bau- Tremblay ’s body in the home she shared with Gendron and his five- year- old son in Beloeil on Thursday. Investigators questioned Gendron the same night. Bau- Tremblay, 28, was last seen leaving her home last Saturday afternoon.
Her family silently left the courthouse, huddled together. Crown prosecutor Nancy Potvin said the family needed privacy to mourn.
“They are very saddened by the situation,” Potvin said.
She told reporters there are several witnesses in the case and they still have a large volume of evidence to go through.
An autopsy is being conducted and witnesses are still being interviewed in connection with the death of the soon- to- be mother. There is the possibility of more charges being laid, Potvin said.
“Everything depends on the autopsy,” she said.
The details of Bau- Tremblay’s death are still unclear — all Potvin could confirm is that it occurred sometime between Saturday, Aug. 1, and Thursday, Aug. 6.
Gendron has been charged several times with various crimes — including uttering threats and assault — and has been on probation.
Most of the charges were filed between mid- 2010 and November 2011.
Blainville police arrested Gendron in June 2010 and he pleaded guilty to assault and uttering a threat. He was sentenced to a year of probation. There was a stay of proceedings after he was arrested in October 2010 under Section 145 of the Criminal Code for failure to comply with a condition of undertaking or recognizance.
Two months later, in December 2010, Gendron was arrested and charged by Blainville police again, for uttering a threat and two counts of assault. He was charged under Section 145 of the Criminal Code for failure to comply with a condition of undertaking or recognizance. There was a stay of proceedings in those cases.
In February 2011, he was arrested by the Régie intermunicipale de police Richelieu- Saint- Laurent, the police force that covers Beloeil and several other municipalities in the region. He was charged under Section 145 of the Criminal Code for failure to comply with a condition of undertaking or recognizance. He pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence of one year of probation.
After police charged him with motor vehicle theft in July 2011, Gendron pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years’ probation and 50 hours of community service. In the same month, he faced other charges, including driving while impaired, failing a blood- alcohol test and possessing a weapon in a motor vehicle. He pleaded guilty to failing the blood- alcohol test. He had to pay a $ 2,000 fine and serve two years of probation. There was a conditional stay of proceedings on the other charges.
The most recent charges are from a November 2011 arrest, when
Gendron was charged with uttering a threat, mischief causing damage to property and theft. He was found guilty and sentenced to one year of community service.
Gendron faced only one criminal charge before 2010. He was acquitted of assault and uttering threats after an arrest in 2005.
I n Beloeil, neighbours are mourning the woman they barely had a chance to know. Gendron and Bau- Tremblay only moved to their home in July.
“It is extremely tragic,” said Michelle Lavallée, who lived next to the couple.
“I am thinking a lot about her, her loved ones, and her unborn child she was carrying,” said Lavallée, her voice trembling.
Alexander St. is quiet, which is part of the reason why residents like Marie- Hélène Paradis want to live there. She only met the couple once, but said they were usually quiet and seemed kind.
“It is chilling,” Paradis said. “For it to happen next door — it is not something I could ever imagine.”
On Friday afternoon outside the bungalow covered in ivy, teddy bears had been placed neatly under a tree in front of the walkway where Bau- Tremblay lived.
One woman, who did not want to give her name, left a pot of tiny red flowers. She said she wanted to pay her respects to the family.
Gendron will appear in court on Sept. 15.