Turcotte trial will move quickly, Crown says
Preliminary inquiry not required in case of child slayings
If all goes according to the prosecution’s plan, Guy Turcotte will not have to wait long for his second trial on charges of murdering his two young children.
The 41-year-old former cardiologist appeared before a judge Thursday at the St-Jerome, Que., courthouse, one day after the Quebec Court of Appeal overturned a jury’s verdict of not criminally responsible on two counts of first-degree murder. The appellate court found that the presiding judge in the case, Superior Court Justice Marc David, made errors in his instructions to the jury as the trial was nearing its end in 2011.
Turcotte turned himself in to the Surete du Quebec, the provincial police force, Wednesday night after being informed that a warrant for his arrest had been issued earlier in the day. He is charged, on the same indictment that was filed against him in 2009, with the first-degree murders of his son Olivier, 5, and his three-year-old daughter Anne-Sophie. Both children were stabbed to death in their home in Piedmont, Que., on Feb. 21, 2009.
Dressed in a dark fleece pullover and faded blue jeans, Turcotte maintained a slight frown as he appeared Thursday before Quebec Court judge Michel Caron. The lawyers who represented him during his first trial, brothers Guy and Pierre Poupart, were present for the brief hearing.
Also present was Isabelle Gaston, Turcotte’s former wife and the mother of the victims. Turcotte kept his eyes toward the ground during the appearance and did not look toward Gaston at all.
Prosecutor Rene Verret asked that the case be carried over to the start of next year’s court schedule, and Caron agreed to set Jan. 10 as the next date. Turcotte was not required to enter a plea at the hearing and the Poupart brothers made no comments as they exited the courtroom.
Verret, a prosecutor from Quebec City who was assigned to the case hours after the appeal decision was ren- dered Wednesday, said the Crown is ready to proceed in the new trial. The first trial took two years to be brought before a jury, but this time around most of the matters that normally cause delays are already dealt with. For example, a preliminary inquiry is not necessary.
Verret also said the provincial prosecutors bureau has yet to receive notice of whether Turcotte will challenge the appeal court decision through the Supreme Court of Canada.
In the meantime, Turcotte can file a motion, before Quebec’s Superior Court, to request a release hearing. Verret said he will not comment on whether the Crown would oppose Turcotte’s release until he sees an actual motion.
“What I do know is that on Jan. 10 we should be able to set a trial date. And when that date is set, we are ready,” Verret said.
Verret added that, as far as he knows, the trial will be held in St-Jerome again even if finding jury members who haven’t formed an opinion on the case might pose a challenge. Normally, a request for a change of venue is made by the defence.