‘Oncle François’ charged with murder in teen’s death
Thirteen-year-old Lachute girl remembered as ‘little ball of love’
It seemed everyone at the campground knew Océane Boyer. Outgoing and full of energy, she had taken a liking to selling raffle tickets around the site, her enthusiasm drawing people in and her bubbly personality convincing them to part with their money to support her.
Two summers ago, she set the record for most tickets sold in a day. When someone won $1,000 from one and gave her a small part of the winnings, she said she wanted to put it toward new clothes for the school year.
“Océane was a little ball of love,” said Roger Louis Seize, who worked at the campground where her family spent two recent summers.
On Wednesday, Océane, 13, was found severely beaten by the side of an isolated road in the Laurentians.
At the St-jérome courthouse on Friday, a close family friend known to the teen as “Oncle François” was charged with first-degree murder in her death.
Wearing glasses and a striped sweater, François Sénécal, 51, sat handcuffed in the accused’s dock, his head downward and shoulders sunken. He never once turned to face those in attendance, including several members of Océane’s family.
It’s unbelievable, but he’s still my father. I can’t believe it. He loved that little girl so much.
He was twice told to raise his head to look at the judge while she addressed him but struggled to do so.
Océane’s mother, shocked and upset, was overtaken by emotions following the brief hearing, needing assistance to leave the courtroom.
Sénécal’s own daughter, Alexandra, shook and cried uncontrollably throughout, covering her mouth in disbelief.
“It’s unbelievable, but he’s still my father,” she told reporters in the hallway afterward, struggling to come to terms with the last 48 hours. “I can’t believe it. He loved that little girl so much.”
Sénécal will remain detained and is expected back in court on Wednesday. He has been barred from contacting the victim’s parents as well as two youths.
A passerby found Océane in Brownsburg-chatham around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday. She was reportedly violently injured and found partly unclothed, dying soon after authorities arrived at the scene.
Her parents last saw her when she left for school in Lachute around 8 a.m. that morning. They reported her missing when she hadn’t returned home in the afternoon. The family lives across the street from the school.
Sénécal was arrested in Montreal on Thursday, a little more than 24 hours after Océane was found.
His daughter told reporters Friday her father had collapsed in her arms when she told him Océane had been reported missing, describing him as unconsolable. “He was devastated,” she said. The 24-year-old said the two families were close and had known each other since before she was born. Océane had taught her own daughter how to swim at Sénécal’s house, she added.
Accompanied by two dozen supporters, Océane’s parents arrived at the courthouse in tears. They hugged and cried in the hallway as they waited for the hearing to begin and lingered afterward, seeming unsure what to do next.
Her father, Francis Boyer, asked the media to respect their privacy now that the court proceedings are underway.
Crown prosecutor Steve Baribeau said the Crown is still waiting for more DNA analysis in the case.
He would not comment on whether Sénécal could face more charges in the case.