Six new charges have been brought against Pascal Martel, who was previously charged with disregarding a body found in Nicolet, near Trois-Rivières, in May.
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He is specifically charged with criminal negligence resulting in death, assault with a weapon using a stick, assault resulting in bodily harm, kidnapping, detention or forcible seizure of the victim Florent Dumas, and coercion to commit a bestial act.
The prosecutor presented all the evidence to the defense, which made it possible to proceed with these new charges after several months.
The facts he was accused of occurred between January 1st and April 30th.
Pascal Martel remains incarcerated and will return to court for his release trial on January 9. He first appeared in June, as did his son Jason Martel.
Both had been charged with insulting a corpse.
So far, however, no murder charges have been filed in this case.
“At this point, although the investigation is almost complete, I conclude that I do not have what it takes to bring any type of charges other than those made,” said criminal and criminal prosecutor Me Benoît Larouche.
Pascal Martel’s ex-spouses, as well as a person close to the alleged victim’s family, were present at the Trois-Rivières courthouse on Thursday when the accused returned to court.
They said they were disappointed with the new charges.
“We were expecting charges of murder and since they will not be brought, we hope that the evidence will lead to further charges,” says Pascal Martel’s aunt of one of Pascal Martel’s children, Marie-Josée Martel.