Until recently, Denis Bégin was one of the 25 most dangerous and wanted criminals on the BOLO program list. He is now the main suspect in the arson of a building in Old Montreal that killed seven people last March.
The criminal profile of Denis Bégin, nicknamed the “Halloween Killer,” is shocking, according to Parole Board of Canada documents.
The 63-year-old man, originally from Gatineau, received this nickname after he was convicted on May 8, 2003, of the murder of Riccardo Jezzi, which occurred ten years earlier, on October 31, 1993, during a party. Halloween in a bar in Montreal.
Bégin was wearing a goalie mask like that of Jason Voorhees’ character in the film series “Friday the 13th” when he opened fire among the partygoers and shot his victim with a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun.
Radio-Canada has been able to confirm, as first revealed by La Presse, that the killer is the main suspect identified by the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) for several weeks in the fatal fire in Old Montreal.
According to our information, evidence obtained from surveillance cameras in the area suggested that he quickly left the scene after flames appeared following an explosion.
Open in full screen mode
The serious fire in which seven people died last March is being punished as arson. The SPVM Homicide Unit is handling this case.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Simon-Marc Charron
Violent past
Six documents from the Parole Board of Canada confirm Denis Bégin’s public danger profile. We learn that he was reported by his then wife in 1995 for the bloody murder of Riccardo Jezzi.
The latter confessed after reporting domestic violence and fleeing with their two children. She told police that she had been beaten several times, choked to the point of unconsciousness, sexually abused, and threatened.
After a conviction, Bégin was able to obtain a further trial after appealing the first instance decision. It was only in May 2003, after a second trial, that he was finally sentenced to life imprisonment with ten years without the possibility of parole for the murder committed ten years earlier.
However, his legal career began long before the fatal evening of October 31, 1993.
According to the parole board, Bégin was already involved in arson in 1979. We find in your criminal record, which began in 1979, crimes related to fire, as well as several related to fraud, theft and others related to driving a vehicle and maintaining or controlling that condition. Drunkenness is what people write about him.
In the years following his incarceration in a maximum security prison in 2003, he was twice described as a psychopath during a psychiatric examination.
The commissioners judged in writing that you perceived violence and manipulation as legitimate methods of resolving conflict situations with others and achieving your goals.
The most recent psychological evaluation, conducted in January 2008, resulted in a diagnosis of mixed personality disorder. The psychologist also points out that you still have very present narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders, which are reflected in your language as well as in your attitude and behavior. She noted that your abilities to introspect are limited and that you exhibit rigidity, according to the parole board’s evaluation report dated March 19, 2008.
They scored on the Hare Psychopathy Scale, which indicates a high, frequent and rapid risk of violent relapse.
In June 2015, he was transferred to the minimum security Leclerc facility in Laval. A year later he failed in his first attempt to escape.
Your behavior shows a tendency to seek power and control, occasionally using lies and manipulation, while exploiting the ambiguity you create to the detriment of honesty, transparency and openness.
After several attempts, he finally managed to escape with an accomplice in February 2019. It was prison staff who noticed his absence during the daily dinner count.
After a four-year term, he was captured by the SPVM last May on the sidelines of the investigation into the fire in Old Montreal. Denis Bégin had evaded the police under a false identity until his arrest in the southwest of the metropolis.
The SPVM declined to comment on La Presse’s report or information received from Radio-Canada.
The investigation is ongoing. However, with a few exceptions, the SPVM never speaks in detail about ongoing investigations in order not to affect their progress, explained Mélanie Bergeron, communications officer for the SPVM.
The lawyer who has represented Denis Bégin since his return to court last May did not return calls to Radio-Canada.
In collaboration with Charles Lalande, crime reporter at ICI Ottawa-Gatineau
Some important dates in Denis Bégin’s career:
- 1984: Denis Bégin is convicted of extortion, conspiracy and extortion. With an accomplice, he tried to extort $100,000 from a bank by sending a package containing a fake bomb.
- October 31, 1993: Bégin wears a goalkeeper mask and kills Riccardo Jezzi during a Halloween party in a Montreal bar.
- March 4, 1996: Bégin is arrested for the murder of Riccardo Jezzi after being denounced by his ex-partner. He was found guilty of second-degree murder, but appealed the decision and obtained a second trial.
- November 4, 1997: Denis Bégin is caught trying to escape from prison.
- May 8, 2003: During his second trial, Bégin pleads guilty to second-degree murder and must serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole for 10 years.
- June 2015: Denis Bégin is transferred to the housing units of a minimum security correctional facility.
- 2016: Canada’s parole board manages to thwart Bégin’s escape plan, meaning he loses his unaccompanied leave.
- February 15, 2019: During the count at 12:15 p.m., employees noticed the absence of Denis Bégin, who had managed to escape with the help of an accomplice. The latter was subsequently arrested.
Source: Decisions of the Parole Board of Canada