Latest news with #Bonnier
Sunday World
15 hours ago
- Sunday World
Episode 1115: Justice For My Father (extract)
Listen to an extract from Austin Stack's book Justice For My Father by Austin Stack is out now Austin Stack was just 14 when his dad was shot and left with horrific life altering injuries at the hands of an IRA assassin. He survived for 18 months before dying from complications. Now 42 years on, Austin says he would like to look his father's killers in the eye and tell them how his death has affected him. Here is an extract from his book Justice for My Father, which is published by Bonnier and available bookshops and audio streaming now. If you liked this, why not check out my chat with Austin in the Crime World studio earlier this year. MORE EPISODES
Montreal Gazette
20-06-2025
- Montreal Gazette
Anger fuelled man accused in McGill Ghetto stabbing death, psychiatrist tells trial
Montreal Crime By François Pelletier was acting in anger and was not delusional when he killed Romane Bonnier by stabbing her repeatedly in the McGill Ghetto more than three years ago, a forensic psychologist said at the accused's murder trial on Friday. In his second day of testimony before a jury at the Montreal courthouse, psychiatrist Gilles Chamberland continued to make the argument that Pelletier's case does not fall within Section 16 of the Criminal Code, which covers whether an accused is not criminally responsible for his actions. Pelletier, 39, is acting as his own lawyer in the trial. He has told the jury he suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder and that his 'normally baseline' delusions became intense after June 23, 2021, when 24-year-old Bonnier told him she wanted to see other men, as well as him, during a relationship that had begun only a week earlier. On Oct. 19, 2021, Pelletier stabbed Bonnier 26 times on Aylmer St. in front of several stunned witnesses. While testifying in his own defence, Pelletier told the jury he prevented an 'apocalypse' by killing Bonnier. The jury has heard evidence, including Pelletier's own testimony, that he sees women he is attracted to in extremes, where they are either princesses or prostitutes. 'It is clear that when (Pelletier) talks about the apocalypse, it is the apocalypse for him,' Chamberland said. 'He didn't think that the moment he killed the victim the apocalypse wouldn't arrive. When he testified, he said he was living the apocalypse and that he would continue living it, that the apocalypse would come if (he didn't kill Bonnier).' 'Is there a mental illness inside that,' prosecutor Louis Bouthillier asked. 'No. It is a very, very big fragility,' Chamberland said. 'It is not a sickness. He is like that.' Chamberland did not have a chance to evaluate Pelletier in person. He based his findings on Pelletier's testimony during the trial and documents, including an evaluation done by another psychiatrist that was never completed. That document details how Pelletier showed symptoms of having obsessive compulsive disorder from the age of eight and that he sought help in 2016 at Montreal hospitals and a clinic after a relationship with a different woman came to an end in 2015. Beginning in 2010, Pelletier was in three relationships in all, including with Bonnier, and it appears they all ended when the women did not fit into his concept of how a woman should be. 'He was searching for an ideal love. That is clear,' Chamberland said. The psychiatrist pointed out how Pelletier only knew Bonnier for less than four weeks after he moved into her apartment, and that they were in a relationship for just a week when Pelletier became upset after she told him she wanted to see other men while continuing to be in a relationship with him. On Thursday, Chamberland said that in his opinion, what Pelletier was experiencing when he killed Bonnier was pain and suffering and not a delusion as the accused claimed many times when he testified. Chamberland was also asked to offer his opinion on text messages Pelletier sent to a young woman hours before he killed Bonnier. Days before the homicide, they met for a date at a park on Mount Royal, took a walk down the mountain and had a conversation on Queen Mary Rd. On the day Bonnier was killed, Pelletier sent the woman messages asking if she wanted to go to St-Jérôme so she could hand out her curriculum vitae. She was looking for a job and Pelletier was offering to help her, but he also wanted to turn the trip into a romantic one. He offered to take the woman for a walk on a boardwalk and suggested they sightsee and look at the fall foliage in the Laurentians. 'He is logical (in the message). There is nothing in there that suggests something is about to happen,' Chamberland said. 'It is very strange. 'It is like he is not sure (Bonnier's death) is about to happen. Life is going on (beyond Oct. 19, 2021).' When the woman testified earlier this week, Pelletier asked her why she didn't accept his offer and she said it was because she didn't trust him following their first date. When he testified before the jury, Pelletier said that on Oct. 15, 2021, four days before he killed Bonnier, he already made the decision to kill her. Before Chamberland began testifying on Friday, Superior Court Justice François Dadour told the jury they might have to sit on Tuesday, the Fête de la Saint-Jean, a statutory holiday. The judge has said before that he hopes to have the jury deliberating by the end of next week and, in order to keep that schedule, Pelletier might need more than one day to cross-examine the psychiatrist. In order to have the jury sitting on that day, several staff at the courthouse will have to work on a day when the courthouse is almost entirely closed.
Montreal Gazette
17-06-2025
- Montreal Gazette
Woman testifies about date she had with man charged in McGill Ghetto stabbing death
Montreal Crime By A woman who went out on one date with François Pelletier, just days before he killed Romane Bonnier in the McGill Ghetto, made it clear on Tuesday she was not comfortable with being called as a witness for the defence in the accused's first-degree murder trial. 'Is there a middleman who can ask me the questions,' the 32-year-old woman said after she took the witness stand in the case where Pelletier is acting as his own lawyer. Pelletier has been allowed to pose questions to certain witnesses during his trial, in particular witnesses who might not be traumatized by having to exchange with a man accused of first-degree murder. He was allowed to ask the 32-year-old woman questions because they only went out on one date and she turned Pelletier down on his request to get together a second time. She confirmed to the jury hearing the trial that she met Pelletier through a dating app and that they 'probably' exchanged text messages between Oct. 6 and Oct. 19, 2021, the same day Bonnier was killed. Pelletier has admitted to the jury several times that he killed Bonnier. On Tuesday, Superior Court Justice François Dadour reminded the jury that the key question in the trial involves Pelletier's state of mind when he killed the woman he was in a brief relationship with. Pelletier has told the jury that he suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder and that his 'baseline' delusions became more intense after Bonnier told him she wanted to see other men while also sharing an apartment with him. He told the jury that he killed Bonnier so 'Romane could stay Romane' and not be influenced by something he refers to as 'the Black Mirror society,' a reference to a sci-fi drama television show he had watched. The 32-year-old witness who was called to testify on Tuesday appeared to be unable to look toward Pelletier as he asked her questions about the date. 'That was (nearly) four years ago. I don't remember a lot of things,' the woman said. 'I'm not really comfortable with these questions.' Pelletier suggested that the woman told him, back in 2021, that she was 'mentally exhausted' and was looking for a friend to talk to. He also said he was mentally exhausted at the time as well and asked if she recalled this. 'I don't remember,' the woman said bluntly. 'I remember that we met at a park (on Mount Royal) and that we went back down the trail (after).' Pelletier then asked the woman if she recalled having coffee and cake with him on Queen Marry Rd., near St-Joseph's Oratory. 'The cake I remember, not the coffee,' the woman said. She also confirmed that Pelletier gave her a 'small gift' during the date — a small pepper spray. The woman also said she could not remember if Pelletier made any reference to having just broke up with a woman, an apparent reference to Bonnier. Pelletier then referred to 18 pages worth of text messages he exchanged with the woman and asked her why she turned down his offer to meet a second time, to bring her to the Laurentians so she could hand out her curriculum vitae because she was searching for a job. The offer came with a suggestion that they do sightseeing in the Laurentians. 'Because I don't trust you,' the woman said of her rejection. 'What I remember is that (you said) your name was Frank, and that's not even your real name.' Late Tuesday afternoon, the jury began watching a videotape of Pelletier's interrogation by a Montreal police homicide detective following his arrest immediately after Bonnier was killed. The video is five hours long and, at the start, Pelletier is seen in the video seated with his arms folded as he remains completely silent and refuses to answer any of the detective's questions.
Montreal Gazette
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Montreal Gazette
Jury in McGill Ghetto murder trial views episode of sci-fi series Black Mirror
By The jury hearing the murder trial of François Pelletier ended what must have been a very confusing week for them by watching an episode of a television show. Superior Court Justice François Dadour asked the 12-member jury to watch an episode from season one of Black Mirror, a sci-fi drama that was streamed on Netflix, following Pelletier's weeklong testimony in his defence. He is charged with the first-degree murder of Romane Bonnier, a 24-year-old woman who was stabbed to death on Oct. 19, 2021 on Aylmer St. in the McGill Ghetto. During his sometimes confusing and rambling testimony, Pelletier, 39, has made several asides, for example to songs he was listening to while he and Bonnier were in a brief relationship. He has also mentioned the Black Mirror show often. Earlier this week, a member of the jury sent Dadour a note asking whether they could watch a specific episode of Black Mirror and, on Friday, Dadour allowed it. He asked the jury to watch the hour-long episode inside their deliberation room because, Dadour said, there might be 'issues' with playing the episode in open court. When Pelletier was sworn in on Friday with the intended goal of completing his testimony, he was asked to state his occupation. He said: 'Chief antagonist of the Black Mirror Society.' On previous days, Pelletier stated his occupation as 'prisoner,' but he also said 'Soldier of God' at the start of one day this week. On Friday, Pelletier testified about the days after he was arrested by the Montreal police and detained as a suspect in Bonnier's death. 'It eventually hit me, like the repercussions and the collateral damage (of Bonnier's death) and all the reality of like how now she's not gonna be there anymore. It was like a funeral,' Pelletier said, adding he had difficulty being detained in isolation. 'I started thinking of the impact of what I had done. It was a lot to take in. 'I was realizing that I was not well and that I might not have been well.' Pelletier said he realized then he would probably 'be in prison for the rest of my life' when the judge interrupted him. 'The purpose of this trial is to determine whether you are guilty or not guilty, so let's stick with your state of mind (in the days after the homicide),' the judge said. Pelletier then referred to a document that he described as 'a memo' he wrote to himself in jail. 'In there I mentioned that I really wanted to talk to someone like a doctor or a psychologist or a psychiatrist because I was ready to go completely insane, if I was not already,' Pelletier said. 'I should not (have been) in isolation given the psychological predicament I (was) in. I mentioned I have (obsessive compulsive disorder) and I'm most likely psychotic.'
Montreal Gazette
10-06-2025
- Montreal Gazette
Judge urges jury ‘to exercise patience' in McGill Ghetto murder trial
Montreal Crime By One of the jurors in the murder trial of the man accused of stabbing 24-year-old Romane Bonnier in the McGill Ghetto more than three years ago expressed their impatience over how François Pelletier has been testifying in the case. The frustration was expressed in a note sent from the 12-member jury to Superior Court Justice François Dadour on Tuesday afternoon while Pelletier, 39, was in his fifth day of testifying in his own defence. He is acting as his own lawyer, and this has created the unique situation where Pelletier is not answering questions. His testimony is in the form of a long monologue full of confusing asides, references to songs and other cultural references. Pelletier has often taken more time to explain his asides than he has referred to actual evidence. For example, he has mentioned a television show called Black Mirror at least a few times and, earlier on Tuesday, the juror asked the judge if they can watch one hour-long episode. The Crown's theory in the case is that Pelletier met Bonnier through an ad she placed seeking a roommate to share an apartment she was already renting. Pelletier moved in and they started what turned out to be a brief relationship. Pelletier moved out on Sept. 1, 2021 and sent Bonnier many text messages for weeks asking why she ended it. On Oct. 19, 2021, he staked out Bonnier's workplace, a store owned by her parents, and followed her as she walked home before he killed her. Following a morning of hearing similar testimony, the jury member sent Dadour a note 'concerning the evidence of Mr. Pelletier.' The juror wrote that the 'mental health of the jury is important' to the trial. The person wanted to address 'the elephant in the room' and called Pelletier's testimony repetitive and lacking relevance. When Pelletier testified Tuesday morning about a relationship he had with a different woman in 2010, one of the male jurors could be seen leaning back in his chair with his head staring at the ceiling. He appeared to have tuned out Pelletier. 'It is common to have a witness testify for days, if not weeks,' Dadour told the jury in his reply to the note. 'His examination takes the form of a monologue because he is not being asked questions.' He said that 'all judges must be patient,' reminded them that Pelletier is close to finishing his testimony and noted that the accused will soon be cross-examined by one of the two prosecutors in the case. 'I invite you to exercise patience,' the judge said. 'We have started this trial and now we must finish it.' While testifying, Pelletier has admitted several times that he stabbed Bonnier 26 times on Aylmer St. in front of several stunned witnesses. In her opening statement to the jury, prosecutor Marianna Ferraro told the jury the case is not a whodunit. This is because the horrific slaying was recorded by a surveillance camera and the jury has now seen the video. The questions for the jury to consider will involve what was Pelletier's state of mind when he killed Bonnier.
