Accused in deadly Amqui, Que., truck crash found guilty of murder

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 21, 2025 7:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

Steeve Gagnon has been recovered guilty of first-degree execution after running down and sidesplitting 3 radical with his pickup motortruck successful Amqui, Que., successful March 2023.

The 12 jurors, who began their deliberations down closed doors connected Friday morning, delivered their verdict astatine the courthouse successful Rimouski, Que., connected Saturday evening.

Gagnon faced three counts of first-degree execution and 2 counts of attempted execution utilizing a centrifugal vehicle. He was recovered blameworthy connected each 5 charges.

Quebec Superior Court Justice Louis Dionne instantly sentenced Gagnon to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole for 25 years connected the execution charges and 10 years for each of the attempted execution charges, to beryllium served concurrently.

Gérald Charest, 65, Jean Lafrenière, 73, and 41-year-old Simon-Guillaume Bourget were killed aft being struck by Gagnon's vehicle.

It was an affectional country erstwhile families and assemblage members exited the courtroom aft the verdict. Some were tearful, portion others seemed relieved.

Amqui Mayor Sylvie Blanchette told Radio-Canada that radical tin present crook the page.

"It doesn't erase anything," she said successful French, "Gérald, Jean and Simon-Guillaume will not beryllium coming back, but astatine slightest for the families, it's similar a balm connected a wound."

"The verdict that they were waiting for is the 1 that came out," she said of the victims' loved ones.

Gagnon admitted he was driving the conveyance that struck and killed 3 radical and earnestly injured 3 others, but during his jury trial, the defence argued it was an accident.

His lawyer, Hugo Caissy, said Gagnon was driving erstwhile helium dropped thing connected the level of his vehicle, reached down to prime it up, and past mislaid power of the conveyance and struck the pedestrians.

The Crown, however, had argued that Gagnon's actions were premeditated and intentional.

The authoritative pointed to a bid of videos Gagnon recorded conscionable 2 days earlier the crash, wherever helium described moving down children successful a schoolyard with his truck.

On March 13, 2023, the time of the crash, Gagnon stopped astatine a schoolyard, but determination were nary students determination due to the fact that it was a pedagogical day.

Six minutes later, the archetypal pedestrian was hit.

In bid to find Gagnon blameworthy of first-degree murder, jurors had to reason that he intentionally ran down those people, and that helium planned the transgression successful advance.

"We ever believed that that it was first-murder and we were assured successful our evidence," Crown authoritative Simon Blanchette said connected Saturday.

Meanwhile, the defence has 30 days to entreaty the verdict. Caissy wouldn't remark connected whether oregon not it's a way Gagnon volition pursue.