Man found guilty of murdering his sisters in 2020
The jury that heard the trial of Denis Leblanc required little time to find him guilty of murdering his two sisters when he went on a rampage with a rifle in the Mercier– Hochelaga-maisonneuve borough in 2020.
On Thursday, the jury foreman at the Montreal courthouse repeated the word “guilty ” seven times with no hesitation as a court clerk asked for the verdicts on each count.
Leblanc, 63, was convicted of the first-degree murders of his sisters Diane Leblanc, 61, and Sylvie Leblanc, 56. Their mother had asked the women to check in on their brother on Oct. 3, 2020, after a neighbour called to report his odd behaviour earlier that day. Leblanc shot his sisters at close range on the balcony behind his apartment on Ontario St. E.
He then moved on to the balcony of a woman he knew who lived next door and fired shots into her home as she ran for her life out the front entrance.
When she testified at Leblanc's trial, the neighbour said she became friends with Leblanc after she moved into the apartment next to his, but that he was upset after she rejected his advances.
Leblanc was also found guilty of attempting to murder his neighbour and the attempted murder of Montreal police officers he fired at when they arrived at the scene. He was injured in the exchange of gunfire.
In Leblanc's apartment, police found rifles leaning next to the front and back entrances and next to a large window in a bedroom. Leather hunting belts packed with ammunition were found next to at least two of the firearms.
Superior Court Justice Mario Longpré scheduled Feb. 28 as a date to hear sentencing arguments.
The two first-degree murder convictions come with automatic life sentences, and Leblanc won't be eligible for full parole until he serves 25 years behind bars. He faces further sentencing for the five other offences he was found guilty of.