Michaël Chicoine, sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his two children in Wendake in 2020, admitted guilt on Friday to one count of assaulting a correctional officer, earning him a new sentence of 12 months.
The 33-year-old murderer admitted the facts in front of Judge Sébastien Proulx on October 6, 2022 in the middle of the courtroom. He was subsequently arrested and was in the preliminary stages of trial in his murder case.
He appeared disorganized in the dock and began banging his head against the glass separating him from the room. He then attacked a correctional officer who tried to intervene and handcuffed him several times in the back of the head.
Another officer was spat in the face but did not want to press charges. After reinforcements arrived, the defendant was finally overpowered.
Stitches
The victim in this case required stitches for a laceration to her scalp, Crown prosecutor Me Jean Simon Larouche said.
The chaotic scene, to say the least, took place in the presence of many people, including the judge, lawyers, journalists and the public.
Michaël Chicoine wanted to address the court on Friday to apologize from the federal prison where he is being held. With a remorseful expression on his face, the 30-year-old claimed that he had learned to deal with his anger in prison.
Symbolic punishment
Judge Proulx accepted the parties' joint proposal of a 12-month prison sentence and emphasized the importance of denouncing violent crimes against peace officers.
This sentence is symbolic because it will be served concurrently with the life sentence without the possibility of parole before the expiration of 16 years and six months imposed on him in December 2022 for double murder.
Chicoine had also decided to plead guilty in this sordid affair and forgo his trial. His lawyers had assessed the defense of not being criminally responsible due to mental disorder but concluded it was not “sufficient”.
Chicoine took the lives of Olivier, 5 years old, and Alex, 2 years old, on October 11, 2020 in Wendake. The latter were “probably” killed […] “Asphyxia due to obstruction of the external airways and/or strangulation,” it said.
At the beginning of the proceedings, the defendant also made insulting comments towards Judge François Huot, calling him a “racist” and an “asshole”.
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