Jonathan Bettez is determined to continue his prosecution against the Sûreté du Québec to the end, his lawyer said, proclaiming the innocence of his client, who is still considered the “prime suspect” in the disappearance and murder of Cédrika Provencher.
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“There will be no out-of-court settlement. What my clients want is for the SQ to be publicly accountable. They want the murderer [de la petite Cédrika] be arrested and put behind bars. And that person is not Jonathan,” explained Me Jessy Héroux this Friday at the Montreal courthouse.
The lawyer spoke at the end of a week of court hearings as part of the Bettez clan's $10 million civil lawsuit against the state in connection with the 2007 murder of Cédrika Provencher in Trois-Rivières.
Jonathan Bettez (in the background) while his lawyer Me Jessy Héroux made a statement to the media at the Montreal courthouse this Monday, January 22, 2024. Journal de Montréal, Michaël Nguyen
The nine-year-old was reported missing before her remains were found in 2015. Bettez had been targeted by police as a “prime suspect” but was never charged in the case. He was later arrested on child pornography charges but was acquitted because the evidence against him was improperly collected.
Access to investigative documents
Bettez and his parents responded with a civil lawsuit. In this context, the parties spent the week in court. And after an agreement with Quebec's attorney general, Me Héroux will have access to the evidence police collected against Jonathan Bettez, but undertakes not to share it with his clients.
This includes sworn statements from investigators and wiretaps, including at Bettez's home and his parents' business.
“These are documents we have been requesting for nine months,” Mr. Héroux said in a brief news conference with Jonathan Bettez right behind him.
The latter did not comment, leaving room for his lawyer, who reiterated that his client had nothing to do with the disappearance and death of Cédrika.
“We will go to court and win,” he said confidently.
Its a lot to do
But there is still a lot to do until then. Among other things, with the extrajudicial interrogation of Martin Prud'homme, the former general director of the SQ, who had previously worked on the Cédrika Provencher case.
Former big boss of the Sûreté du Québec Martin Prud'homme. Archive photo, Chantal Poirier
No date has yet been set for this civil trial.
Note that Martin Provencher and Henri Provencher, little Cédrika's father and grandfather, made a surprise appearance in court last Wednesday, but have not appeared in court since. They did not want to comment on the file.
Cédrika Provencher's grandfather Henri Provencher and his father Martin Provencher visit the Montreal courthouse for Jonathan Bettez's case against the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) in Montreal on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY