Ax murder: almost 10 years of penitentiary for Philippe Leclerc

While the accused’s lawyers hoped for a sentence between 8 and 12 years old, judge Maxime Roy ranked behind the crown recommendation.

For the guilty manslaughter committed by Leclerc, he imposed a sentence of 14 years of penitentiary to him, less the time already purged.

He therefore has 9 years and 9 months left, dated April 24, mentions the prosecutor, at the DPCP, Maître Vincent Bernier.

It is also mentioned that “assault is not accidental”, taking into account that Philippe Leclerc took his ax and gave a sufficiently powerful and brutal blow for free.

And during the trial, last fall, the defense had tried to demonstrate that the accused suffered from a mental disorder in the eyes of the criminal code, but without success.

The judge explains in his decision that “the disturbed mental state of Leclerc is attributable solely to voluntary poisoning for chemicals”.

Among the aggravating factors, the court notes the violence of the assault on the victim, the consequences of the act on relatives, but also other violent events that occurred during the preventive imprisonment of Philippe Leclerc, including blows to fellow prisoners.

The abuse of narcotics and alcohol is also underlined.

The magistrate highlights that “Philippe Leclerc’s journey towards rehabilitation will be long, arduous and will ask for a degree of motivation”.