Listuguj Double Murder: Court Proceedings May Begin in August
The New Carlisle Courthouse (Archives)
The legal proceedings in the case of a double murder that occurred in Listuguj in the spring of 2021 can officially begin this summer. The accused, Brandon Metallic, was finally declared fit to stand trial Thursday morning at the New Carlisle courthouse.
Quebec Court Judge Celestina Almeida s& #x27;is lined up behind the opinion of the National Institute of Forensic Psychiatry Philippe-Pinel, which concluded that the accused is fit to face justice. Psychiatrist Chantal Bouchard filed her report after conducting a new assessment of the Gaspésien.
“Today we have a brand new portrait of the accused. »
— Celestina Almeida, judge of the Court of Quebec
The report states that the accused is now aware of the seriousness of the charges against him and that he understands the ongoing legal process. He is also able to communicate with the lawyer assigned to him as part of the procedures relating to the assessment of his suitability, Me Hugo Caissy.
“For us and for everyone, it means that we can now move forward.
— Anne Joncas-Côté, criminal and penal prosecuting attorney
Brandon Metallic has himself stated that he felt fit to stand trial and that he agreed to continue the medical treatment he had been ordered to undergo by the court.
While he has been uncooperative, even agitated, in previous hearings, the accused intervened calmly and calmly on Thursday.
Me Anne Joncas-Côté is a criminal and penal prosecuting attorney at the Percé courthouse. She represents the public prosecutor in the case of Brandon Metallic in the absence of Me Florence Frappier-Routhier.
The latter, however, has not yet indicated whether or not he intends to be represented throughout the trial that awaits him. I strongly advise you to seek the services of a lawyer, Judge Almeida told him. Me Caissy was open to accepting the mandate.
The 30-year-old man will therefore be back in court on August 9.
What we want to do is to set dates for the preliminary investigation to be held and for the case to move forward, explains the one who now represents the public prosecutor in this case, Me Joncas-Côté.< /p>
The issue of Brandon Metallic's fitness to appear has occupied the court for nearly a year. After an initial 60-day medical treatment ordered last fall, the individual was declared fit to stand trial last January.
The Philippe-Pinel Institute is located in the Rivière-des-Prairies sector, in Montreal. Brandon Metallic was still being held there on Thursday morning when he appeared virtually at the New Carlisle courthouse.
However, the Crown had requested a second psychiatric evaluation from the at the end of which the accused was again declared unfit to face justice. A second 60-day treatment was ordered in April. According to the psychiatrist who assessed him, he was then in a state of psychotic denial.
Mr. Metallic is accused of causing the deaths of a girl and a man in their twenties in Listuguj on May 15, 2021. The identities of the two victims are subject to a publication ban.
