Marc-André Grenon is accused of the murder and sexual assault of Guylaine Potvin.
Mireille Chayer ( View profile)Mireille Chayer
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After a one-week break imposed by judge François Huot's health problems, the trial of Marc-André Grenon resumed Monday morning at the palace of Justice of Chicoutimi. The lawyers of the man accused of the murder of Guylaine Potvin announced at the opening of the hearing that they would not present any evidence in defense.
The next stage will therefore be that of the pleadings and it will take place on Wednesday. The judge explained to the jurors that the Crown will deliver its evidence in the morning and that the defense will do the same in the afternoon. This is the order provided for in the Criminal Code when there is no defense presented.
By midweek, the judge and four attorneys will continue their non-jury work at the pre-argument conference.
It is next Monday, February 19, that the judge will give his instructions to the jurors, who will then be sequestered. You show up here with your luggage, the judge mentioned.
He reminded that 2 of the 14 jurors will be eliminated by drawing lots since the law provides that only 12 of them will be able to deliberate. This was announced at the very beginning of the trial in mid-January.
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An illustration of the defense lawyers, Karine Poliquin and Vanessa Pharand.
Marc-André Grenon stands trial
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Marc-André Grenon undergoes his trial
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The jurors were released shortly before 10 a.m. The judge again asked them to avoid talking about the trial with their loved ones and not to listen to or read reports related to this case so as not to affect their judgment.
< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">Recall that Guylaine Potvin, a 19-year-old student, was murdered in her apartment on rue Panet in Jonquière on April 28, 2000. According to the evidence presented by the Crown, Marc-André Grenon allegedly entered her home while she was sleeping, sexually assaulted her and strangled her. The autopsy report concluded that strangulation caused the victim's death.
Investigators had known for more than two decades that male DNA had been found at the crime scene and on the body of Guylaine Potvin. However, to determine who a genetic profile belongs to, there must be comparison and concordance, which proved impossible for a very long time in this case.
It was only in 2022, with the use of innovative techniques in judicial genealogy, that Marc-André Grenon attracted the attention of the police. The man, now 49 years old, was arrested in Granby in October 2022.
Analyzes showed that his DNA had been detected on a belt found in Guylaine Potvin's room, as well as on a box of condoms abandoned at the crime scene. Statistical calculations also tend to demonstrate that it was Marc-André Grenon's DNA which was found in samples taken from the victim's body.
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116
