Jury chosen in case of man accused of killing ill wife
Woman was suffering from final stages of Alzheimer’s disease when she died
A jury will begin hearing evidence Tuesday in a murder trial that is likely to touch on many sensitive subjects, including a patient’s right to a medically assisted death.
While vetting a jury pool at the Montreal courthouse Monday, Superior Court Justice Hélène Di Salvo noted that the case against Michel Cadotte, 57, has received much media attention because he is charged with killing his wife, Jocelyne Lizotte, while the 60-year-old woman was in the final stages of Alzheimer’s. Di Salvo asked each potential juror whether they had seen, read, heard or recalled any of the media coverage and, if so, if they had any opinions on a patient’s right to die, medically assisted deaths and Alzheimer’s.
Two women who were part of the jury pool were asked to listen to the answers potential jurors gave to the court and decided whether they believed the person was impartial or not. The two women were able to reject a potential juror if they felt the person was likely to bring a strong opinion on the rightto-die issue into the jury.
Despite the complicated vetting process, a jury of eight men and four women was selected after the court heard from fewer than 60 potential jurors. Another two men were chosen as supplemental jurors in case any of the other 12 decide they can’t be part of a trial expected to last at least six weeks when they return to the courthouse Tuesday morning.
Prosecutor Antonio Parapuf is expected to give an opening statement before the jury begins hearing evidence from at least 17 witnesses. Included among the witnesses to be called is at least one of Lizotte’s relatives, five police officers and two doctors.
Cadotte is charged with second-degree murder. Lizotte died on Feb. 20, 2017, while she was at the Centre d’hébergement Émilie-Gamelin, a long-term nursing home in Montreal.
From the outset, Di Salvo informed the jury pool of roughly 350 people that Lizotte had suffered from the disease for several years, and asked them to advise her if they thought this might be an issue for them. At least five people asked to be exempted because they were close to someone who had or has Alzheimer’s.
“Every juror has to be impartial. Every juror has to have an open mind,” Di Salvo said in her introduction to the jury pool.
The first person to ask for an exemption related to Alzheimer’s was a woman who said she cared for her parents while both had the disease.
“I don’t think I am capable of convicting someone else,” the woman said before Di Salvo excused her.