Pierre Ny St-Amand, the Société de transport de Laval (STL) driver who killed two people and injured six while driving to a day care center in Laval, is expected in court this Friday morning for the rest of the trial.
Posted at 9:20am
The 51-year-old was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault and assault on February 8, the day of the accident.
On Friday, the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) should be able to transfer the evidence to the defense in the presence of the defendant at the Laval courthouse.
According to information from La Presse, Pierre Ny St-Amand has been detained in the infirmary of Bordeaux prison since Wednesday, most likely in an isolation cell to be kept away from other detainees. He was in the Sacré-Coeur hospital on the day of his indictment, which took place via videoconference. It is the lawyer Me Julien Lespérance Hudon who represents him.
According to La Presse, in a month the man should marry the woman who has shared his life for more than 10 years and is the mother of his two children.
The motives that prompted him to rush to daycare are unknown.
After the collision, the STL driver tried to get off the bus while stripping and was overpowered by relatives and neighbors. This senseless gesture triggered a wave of anger, sadness and compassion.
The funeral of one of the two young children killed, Jacob Gauthier, 4, was held on Thursday. Details of the funeral of the other victim, Maëva David, 5, have not yet been released.
The day after the tragedy, Minister for Social Services Lionel Carmant announced that the accused did not wait for psychiatric services. There was no evidence that he had any mental health problems in the past.
At the STL, where he had been a driver for ten years, he was considered a quiet and discreet man.
It is therefore difficult to make any assumptions about his mental state.
To be found fit, the accused must understand the charges against him, know his whereabouts and be able to communicate with his counsel.
Remember that Cambodian-born Pierre Ny St-Amand was adopted by a family from Sept-Îles on the north coast. He “had a difficult childhood and was often rejected by others,” a source told La Presse.
For five years he and his family have been living a little over 5 km from the scene of the tragedy.
More details to come.