Toddler present during homicides
A three-year-old boy fled the Shawinigan home where a man killed two people Wednesday night.
Sources told the Montreal Gazette that after the suspect shot two women to death and attempted to set the house on fire, the three-year-old walked out of the home and sought shelter at a neighbour’s house.
Although the boy was not harmed, it’s unclear whether he witnessed any of the violence.
Sources wouldn’t confirm what connection the boy has to the victims.
Police say the Shawinigan home was the place where suspect Sylvain Duquette, 51, allegedly embarked on a violent rampage Wednesday night.
The suspect is accused of killing his sister-in-law Denise Hallé and her cousin Jeanette Lauzon-Toupin.
Police say he then tried to set Hallé’s house on fire before travelling to nearby Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, where he allegedly killed his stepmother, 70-year-old Jocelyne Pellerin.
The suspect’s father, Claude Duquette, was present during the homicide but wasn’t seriously injured.
Duquette was charged with three counts of first-degree murder Thursday in Shawinigan, plus one count of attempted murder.
The suspect struggled to hold down a job and was reportedly furious with his family for withdrawing financial support.
Duquette’s father and stepmother were so afraid of the man that they apparently built a makeshift shelter in their laundry room to hide from him, according to 98.5 FM. There have also been reports alleging that Duquette tied down his dad and Pellerin minutes before she was shot.