By Canadian Press

Suspect charged with first-degree murder in death of 13-year-old Quebec girl

Feb 28, 2020 | 11:28 AM

ST-JEROME, Que. — A 51-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in the violent death of a teenage girl who was found by the side of a road in Quebec’s Laurentians region.

Francois Senecal was arrested Thursday in Montreal and was charged Friday in St-Jerome. He was ordered to remain in custody.

A handcuffed Senecal stared at the ground as he appeared in front of a packed courtroom, where loved ones of the victim wiped away tears.

Thirteen-year-old Oceane Boyer’s body was found Wednesday morning on a public road in Brownburg-Chatham, northwest of Montreal.

Her body bore signs of violence, and Quebec provincial police described her death as a homicide.

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Oceane’s mother said on Facebook that Senecal was a friend of the family.

Meanwhile, a school board announced it was sending a support team to the high school Boyer attended in Lachute, about 60 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2020

The Canadian Press