By Canadian Press

Jurors in Quebec Halloween 2020 murder trial hear closing arguments

May 11, 2022 | 10:10 AM

QUEBEC — Closing arguments are being delivered today at Quebec City’s Halloween murder trial, with the defence trying to convince jurors his client should be found not criminally responsible of the killings.

Carl Girouard is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of François Duchesne, 56, and Suzanne Clermont, 61, on Oct. 31, 2020. He is also charged with five counts of attempted murder in the attack in the city’s historic Old Quebec district.

Girouard, 26, has admitted to using a sword to murder and maim that night, but he has maintained he was not criminally responsible because he suffered from a mental disorder.

Defence lawyer Pierre Gagnon is insisting on the report from Dr. Gilles Chamberland, who concluded after assessing Girouard that the accused suffered from schizophrenia and psychotic delirium.

Gagnon is highlighting the psychiatrist’s professional career and urging jurors to consider the witness’s experience during their deliberations.

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The defence lawyer is also questioning the findings of the prosecution’s psychiatrist, Dr. Sylvain Faucher, who concluded Girouard was not psychotic but instead had a narcissistic personality disorder.

The Crown has argued Girouard’s actions were premeditated and that he knew right from wrong during the attacks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2022.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

The Canadian Press