Canada - Océane Boyer, 13, murdered, Quebec City, 26 Feb 2020

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According to information obtained by Radio-Canada, François Senecal, the man accused of the first degree murder of Oceane Boyer, allegedly abused his trust and had an inappropriate relationship with the 13-year-old girl in the months leading up to the Murder.

Shortly before her death, Oceane Boyer allegedly tried to meet a psychologist, which would have worried François Senecal. According to the president of the Quebec College of Psychologists, who was speaking on Isabelle Richer's show, a professional must notify the Directorate of Youth Protection (DPJ) if he believes that a teenager is in danger.

"The Youth Protection Act stipulates that any professional, in the performance of his or her duties, who has good reason to believe that a teenage girl is in a position of compromise, must speak out."

-Christine Grou, President of the Quebec College of Psychologists

On the morning of the murder, on 26 February, the girl reportedly left her home in Lachute, in the Laurentians, to go to school and crossed paths with François Senecal. The 51-year-old allegedly took Oceane Boyer to his home, drugged her and hit her with a blunt object. He then allegedly dumped his lifeless body on the side of a road in Brownsburg-Chatham.
François Senecal, who was a friend of Oceane's family, later tried to erase the traces of his crime. He allegedly went to a car wash to clean the blunt object that was used to kill the girl. The scene was reportedly captured by a CCTV camera.

The results of several tests are still pending, including the DNA test, which is expected to determine whether young Oceane Boyer was sexually assaulted before she was killed.

François Sénécal aurait entretenu une relation inappropriée avec Océane Boyer

 

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Mar 07, 2020 —

It has been a sad week in the small city of Lachute, Québec, approximately 60 miles from Montréal.


On March 1, mourners placed flowers and stuffed toys at the location where the body of 13-year-old Océane Boyer was found on February 26 in Brownsburg-Chatham, Québec. Photo: James Morgan

“We’re actually in shock, it’s a horrible and tragic situation that has shaken our community,” said Lachute Mayor Carl Péloquin.

Flags were at half-mast outside all city buildings for the following week.

At a café on Lachute's main street, baker Félix Marcoux said the murder was a tragedy for the whole community. He did not know Océane but knew her older sister and one of her cousins when he was in high school.

Micheline Boucher of nearby Vankleek Hill Ontario knew Boyer and her family when they had trailer sites side-by-side at a local campground.

"Océane was a great girl, we were camping neighbours. Happy, polite, energetic, full of kindness, generous with her time at camping," said Boucher.

On February 27, École polyvalente Lavigne, the school Boyer attended in Lachute, was closed. The school was open again the next day and the school district had provided a team of counsellors for staff and students needing support.

Emotional memorial

Mourners released balloons into the sky in memory of Océane Boyer on March 1. Photo: James Morgan

On the morning of March 1, hundreds of people made their way to the place along Chemin de Horrem in Brownsburg-Chatham where Boyer’s body had been found the previous Wednesday. Family, friends, classmates, and many more gathered to show respect and comfort each other. Three chartered school buses brought mourners from the youth center in Lachute and many more followed in private vehicles.

Murder of 13-year-old shocks Québec communities

 

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March 6, 2020

The church where the service for the 13-year-old was held was filled to its 700-seat capacity, leaving some mourners to stand throughout the ceremony.

The mourners included family and many of the girl’s friends, who were accompanied by their parents. Some of the people said they didn’t know her, but felt moved to attend.

Océane’s family had even invited the family of the man accused with her murder to the funeral.

For an hour and a half before the service began, hundreds of people lined the centre aisle of the church to wait their turn to hug Océane’s parents, her brother Olivier and her sister Cassandra. Many of them had tears in their eyes.

Some of the adolescent’s friends, who were elementary or high school classmates of hers, said they still couldn’t believe she was gone.

“It’s as though she was still there,” one of the friends said.

“It hurts, it really hurts,” said another friend, 16-year-old Sophye-Ann Leclerc.

Among the mourners, Lyne Morel, an aunt of Océane’s mother, said she was still in shock.

“We’re so emotional, we don’t realize what’s happening,” she said, adding she’s also touched by Quebecers’ outpouring of support for Océane’s grieving parents, Caroline Sarrazin and Francis Boyer.

A photograph of the girl whom many called “a little ball of energy” was placed near the church altar along with bouquets of red, pink, white and purple flowers and a caged dove.

“Each of us is affected by the murder of Océane,” said parish priest Robert Lemire, who had baptized the girl in the same church. He said he was shaken when he learned of her death.

“Océane always wanted to succeed, she always saw the glass as half full,” he said.

A woman named Kim, who spoke at the ceremony “in the name of all of Océane’s aunts,” said her niece was “helpful, always there to help, always filled with compassion.”

All of Océane’s aunts have gotten tattoos with her name, she said. Other members of the family have gotten tattoos as well, including Mario Noël, one of her uncles.

Noël, who spoke to the media on the family’s behalf following the service, thanked Quebecers for their generosity.

At the end of the service, family members gathered outside the church for a final send-off. Océane’s father delicately held a dove in his hands before letting it fly away to the song “Je vole” by Michel Sardou.

The girl’s body was found on Feb. 26 by a passerby on the side of a road in Brownsburg-Chatham, just west of Lachute and 50 kilometres west of Montreal. The body showed signs of violence. She was last seen leaving for school that morning. Police said she died the same day.

The Sûreté du Québec arrested a man described as a friend of the family, François Sénécal, the following day. He was charged first first-degree murder of an adolescent on Friday last week. He has been detained since his arrest.

Hundreds attend funeral for murder victim Océane Boyer

 

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Murder Of Océane Boyer Preliminary Investigation In 2021 For François Sénécal

It is not until next year that the preliminary investigation of François Sénécal, the man accused of the first degree murder of Océane Boyer, which occurred last February in Brownsburg-Chatham, in the Laurentians, should begin.

The case of the teenager’s alleged murderer returned briefly to court on Monday morning at the St-Jérôme courthouse, where the case was postponed to September 28. This is when a date should be set for the preliminary inquiry.

“It would be very surprising if that happens before 2021,” said Me Steve Baribeau, the criminal and penal prosecuting attorney assigned to the case.

“We will also improve the disclosure of the evidence to be given to the defense lawyer. The disclosure of the evidence, given the current period, has been a little slowed down, but everything is proceeding normally, ”he added.

Pas d'enquête préliminaire avant 2021 pour François Sénécal

 

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LACHUTE, August 10, 2020 | More than five months after the murder of young Océane Boyer, residents of Lachute, in the Laurentians, are still shaken by the event.

"I think about her often, at least once a day," said Talie Ouellet, a friend of the 13-year-old whose body was found alongside a road in the town of Brownsburg-Chatham.

"It's all the moments shared together because we have such great memories. I will always remember her because she really marked me, ”said the young girl.

Talie Ouellet says she will remember above all Océane's joie de vivre and "her good energy that she shared".

"She really had a good heart and she loved everyone for who they really were," she added.

Meurtre d’Océane Boyer: «Je pense souvent à elle», dit une amie

 

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April 7, 2021

The man accused of killing 13-year-old Océane Boyer in Brownsburg-Chatham on February 26, 2020, will undergo a four-day preliminary investigation in September. This was determined during a hearing on Wednesday at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse. The preliminary investigation scheduled for September 13, 14, 15 and 17 at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse will test the evidence. The accused Francois Sénécal, who was a friend of the victim's family, does not dispute the summons to trial.

On the morning of the murder, Océane Boyer allegedly left her residence in Lachute, in the Laurentians, to go to school and crossed paths with François Sénécal. The 52-year-old reportedly took the girl to his home, where he drugged and hit her with a blunt object. He then reportedly dropped off her lifeless body alongside a road in Brownsburg-Chatham. François Sénécal is said to have subsequently tried to erase the traces of his crime. He reportedly went to a car wash to clean up the blunt object that was used to kill the girl. The scene was reportedly captured by a surveillance camera.

The accused allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with the teenager in the months leading up to the murder. François Sénécal remains detained during the legal proceedings. He is represented by lawyer Martin Latour. The criminal and penal prosecuting attorney in this case is Steve Baribeau.

Meurtre d’Océane Boyer : enquête préliminaire en septembre | Radio-Canada.ca

 

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September 13, 2021

It was this morning (September 13) at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse that the preliminary investigation into the alleged murder of young Océanne Boyer began.

François Sénécal, 53, of Brownsburg-Chatham, faces the most serious charge in the Criminal Code of premeditated murder.

The procedure will take a good part of the week before Judge Sophie Lavergne. It will allow the Defense to test the evidence for a possible jury trial.

The Crown, represented by prosecutor Steve Baribeaum will hear a dozen witnesses during the investigation, which is taking place under a publication ban, which prevents the media from revealing the content of the testimonies heard.

François Sénécal, who attends the hearings in the glass box of the accused, seemed moved and shaken during the testimony of his ex-wife in the morning.

Francois who had long been friends with the family of Océane Boyer, for twenty years, allegedly killed the 13-year-old on February 26, 2020 in Brownsburg-Chatham.

The victim left her home around 8 am that day to go to the Lavigne high school in Lachute, but never made it there. Her body was found a few kilometers from her home. She was reportedly killed by a "blunt" object.

The accused, who has been detained since his arrest the day after the murder, is represented by Mr. Martin Latour.

Meurtre d’Océanne Boyer : Début de l'enquête préliminaire de François Sénécal - Nouvelles des Laurentides (nouvelleslaurentides.ca)

 

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September 13, 2021

Febrile and very emotional, François Sénécal's ex-wife was the first to testify during the preliminary investigation of the man accused of the first degree murder of young Océane Boyer, at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse, Monday.

Small and petite, Marie-Anne Latreille wiped her eyes several times as she addressed the circumstances surrounding the tragedy of February 26, 2020. Her 53-year-old ex-husband, handcuffed in the accused's box, gazing at her while holding back tears.

The content of the evidence from the preliminary inquiry is subject to a publication ban, as is usually the case. This step prepares for trial and allows the parties to deepen their evidence.

At the start of the hearing, the accused exchanged glances with his son and daughter, who had come to support him. They had to leave the room quickly, however, as did the relatives of the victim, as they could be called to testify at the trial.

The criminal and penal prosecuting attorney, Mr Steve Baribeau, announced his intention to call a dozen witnesses in this short-term preliminary investigation regarding uncontested summons to trial.

This means that the accused admits that on the face of it there is enough evidence to stand trial. However, he maintains his intention to defend himself before a jury and pleads not guilty to the charge.

The second witness called to the bar was Normand Sénécal, the elder brother of the accused.

François Sénécal's lawyer, Mr Martin Latour, can cross-examine each witness.

The rest of the preliminary inquiry is scheduled for Wednesday before Judge Sophie Lavergne of the Court of Quebec.

Meurtre d’Océane Boyer : des larmes dès le début de l’enquête préliminaire | Radio-Canada.ca

 

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April 6th 2022

François Sénécal will plead guilty

Two years after the sordid murder of young Océane Boyer, François Sénécal intends to admit his guilt in the coming days, his lawyer announced Wednesday morning at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse. An agreement has been reached between the parties.

The murder of the 13-year-old girl shocked Quebec in February 2020, at the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic. When she had to go to school that morning, Océane Boyer had instead been found on the edge of a country road in Brownsburg-Chatham, near Lachute. François Sénécal, a close friend of Océane's family, had been charged with the first degree murder of the teenager.

Details of the case revealed at the preliminary hearing last fall remain under a publication ban until his conviction.

A few months before his jury trial, François Sénécal finally intends to recognize his wrongs and plead guilty in this case. This reversal comes after “following two facilitation sessions between the parties which bore fruit,” explained Crown Attorney Steve Baribeau.

“On April 22, it will be to plead guilty, family members will be present and you will have the opportunity to address the court”, explained judge Éliane B. Perreault to the accused.

A joint sentencing suggestion will be presented to Judge France Charbonneau, said Martin Latour, François Sénécal's lawyer. The lawyers did not specify which charge François Sénécal would plead to and what the suggested sentence would be.

Océane's parents attended the hearing by videoconference. Members of the teenager's family will also address the court as part of the observations on the sentence, said Baribeau.

François Sénécal appeared by phone on Wednesday due to a COVID outbreak in custody. However, the prison authorities had not warned the judge, as required by protocol. “This situation cannot happen again, you cannot learn a red zone in the morning. Mr. Latour could not speak with his client, ”lamented Judge Perreault, who called the prison official to account.

Meurtre d’Océane Boyer | François Sénécal plaidera coupable | La Presse

 

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I wonder had committed this crime just a month or two later if he might have gotten away with it on account of the disruption to schools from the pandemic - and I wonder how many people have gotten away with similar since then.

 

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April 22, 2022

François Sénécal was sentenced on Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 19 years for the second degree murder of Océane Boyer, 13. A crime “ignores” and cowardly “, decided the judge France Charbonneau at the courthouse of Saint-Jérôme.

On February 26, 2020, François Sénécal murdered the 13-year-old girl in sordid circumstances, then abandoned her in a snow bank in Brownsburg-Chatham. Océane Boyer was still alive when paramedics arrived.

“He had become a good friend of the family, the victim considered him his uncle. Everyone trusted him. However, rather than face the consequences of the acts of a sexual nature he had committed, he preferred to kill the young victim to silence her, and then erase all traces that could link him to him, by removing his pants [of the victim] to remove the hair from his dog,” summed up Judge Charbonneau, endorsing the joint suggestion of the parties.

François Sénécal cut court proceedings short on Friday by pleading guilty to a charge of second degree murder. His trial was scheduled in the coming months on one count of first-degree murder.

The murderer burst into tears in the dock after hearing the harrowing testimonies of relatives of the victim. "I'm going to blame myself for the rest of my life... It's true, I stole her life. It shouldn't have happened. Sorry... It's not forgivable what I did. I'm so sorry," he sobbed as he burst into tears.

More details to come

La jeune Océane Boyer respirait encore quand elle a été abandonnée par son meurtrier (radio-canada.ca)

The young Océane Boyer was still breathing when she was abandoned by her murderer.

François Sénécal avoided trial by pleading guilty to a reduced charge of unpremeditated murder. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison, under a joint recommendation endorsed by Judge France Charbonneau.

The funeral of Océane Boyer took place on March 6, 2020, at the Sainte-Anastasie church, in Lachute (archives).

At 2:45 pm, Océane Boyer, 13, was still breathing when her murderer, François Sénécal abandoned her inert body in February 2020 on the side of a road, according to details of the police investigation revealed during the preliminary investigation of the accused. This information was subject to a publication ban.

The testimony of the ambulance technician, who was called to intervene with his teammate after the discovery of the body of Océane Boyer, along a road in Brownsburg-Chatham, is blood-chilling.

On the morning of February 26, 2020, he was the first to approach the body of the teenager left for dead in the snow. Her face swollen, she clung to life. She was still breathing, though brain matter was visible from her head.

The paramedic's report is unequivocal: all the marks of violence were concentrated on the victim's skull.

"I can't forget that, despite my 42 years in the business. I have two daughters, I can't forget that. An attack I saw several of them, but... But of this violence, leaving [the victim] in this way, I saw several of them, but they were not left by the side of the road" , said Mario Beaudin, still shaken by the murder.

“It stuck in my head. This is the intervention that touched me the most." — A quote from Mario Beaudin, ambulance technician who transported Océane Boyer to the hospital

François Sénécal is suspected of having abducted his victim on her way to her secondary school. He allegedly forced her to drink and take drugs before beating her to death with a blunt object.

Subsequently, he would have gone to a car wash to try to erase the traces of his crime. The scene was reportedly captured by a CCTV camera.

A few hours later, a resident of the Brownsburg-Chatham area, who found the bleeding body, contacted 911 to call for help.

"It's not me, I can't get over it." - According to the former spouse of the accused, Marie-Anne Latreille – who also came to testify at the preliminary inquiry – François Sénécal feigned surprise when he learned of the disappearance of the teenager.

The couple were at the restaurant in the evening when the teenager's mother called to inform her that Océane had not gone to school that day.

"I can't believe it." would have launched François Sénécal on the phone, when he heard the news.

They would then have interrupted their dessert to quickly go home. François Sénécal acted normally.

The next day, he left a note stuck on the fridge for his wife: It's not me, I'm not coming back.

Her arrest by the Sûreté du Québec was the start of a nightmare for the lady who was swept away in a whirlwind of hatred.

She said she had received countless death threats from strangers: Sénécal, the man she thought she knew after 14 years together, was officially accused of the premeditated murder of young Océane Boyer.

One of the last conversations she had with Sénécal was on the phone, while he was in pretrial detention. She would have demanded the truth from him. According to Ms. Latreille, the response of her ex-spouse would have been: I feel a little more at peace with myself, because I asked for forgiveness from Océane.

Intimate relationship with 13-year-old victim

Still according to the testimony of the ex-spouse of François Sénécal, Océane Boyer was like the granddaughter of their couple.

According to him, Sénécal was very close to the Boyer family. He had known the teenager since birth.

Over time, he had gotten into the habit of paying her for things. Marie-Anne Latreille cited the example of back-to-school clothing and other gifts. In short, he was spoiling her.

He always protected her, she told the court. Océane called him "Uncle François".

During the summer of 2019, Océane often came to bathe in the above-ground pool at François and Marie-Anne's.

After Sénécal's appearance on February 28, 2020, Sûreté du Québec investigator Marie-Lyne Poulin met with Océane's parents.

Caroline Sarrasin, the mother of the victim, would have mentioned spontaneously that she is aware that François had slept with Océane in the swimming pool. The investigator was surprised. The investigation had not yet revealed an intimate relationship before this statement.

According to information obtained by Radio-Canada in March 2020, François Sénécal had an inappropriate relationship with the girl in the months leading up to the murder.

Shortly before her death, Océane Boyer would have tried to meet a psychologist, which would have worried François Sénécal since these professionals have a duty to report such cases, where a teenager may be in danger, to the Direction de la protection de la youth.

Apologies and Tears - At the courthouse, François Sénécal apologized for the murder of the teenager.

"I wish nobody was here; I'm sorry", he said, in tears, before adding that if he could back down, I would, but I can't.

"I'm going to blame myself for the rest of my life... My apologies don't fix anything", the man continued. "But I apologize the same, I'm sorry."

The murderer added that he was also sorry for having hurt everyone, my family and the family of Océane, whose life he destroyed.

"I ask forgiveness, but I don't know how; it is not forgivable, what I did", he still declared before the court.

La jeune Océane Boyer respirait encore quand elle a été abandonnée par son meurtrier (radio-canada.ca)

 

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Quebec man says what he did is 'not forgivable,' pleads guilty to 2nd-degree murder of teen girl

The man accused of killing a 13-year-old girl in Quebec's Laurentians region about two years ago pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of second-degree murder on Friday in the Saint-Jerôme courthouse.

Judge France Charbonneau endorsed the Crown and defence's joint suggestion that François Sénécal, 53, spend at least 19 years behind bars.

A conviction of second-degree murder triggers an automatic life sentence, with no possibility of parole for at least 10 years.

Océane Boyer was found on the side of the road on Feb. 26, 2020 in Brownsburg-Chatham, Que., about 85 kilometres northwest of Montreal. She died from severe head trauma.

During the legal proceedings, an ambulance worker testified that Boyer was still clinging to life when she was found in the snow.

Sénécal, who was a close friend of Boyer's family, was arrested the next day and charged with first-degree murder.

Sénécal was suspected of abducting his victim on her way to school and then forcing her to drink alcohol and take drugs before beating her to death with a blunt object.

The evidence against Sénécal included video from a car wash, where he was seen trying to clean away evidence.

According to the testimony of Sénécal's ex-spouse, Marie-Anne Latreille, Boyer had been like a granddaughter to the couple.

Sénécal had known the teenager since birth, and over time, had gotten into the habit of buying her gifts and back-to-school clothing. The girl referred to him as "uncle."

It was revealed in court that Sénécal developed a sexual relationship with the girl in the summer of 2019, Radio-Canada reports.

When the victim tried to see a psychologist, the accused worried his sexual contact with the girl would be reported to youth protection authorities, as is mandatory in this type of case.

The killing and the ensuing arrest rocked both the accused and the victim's families, who had close ties going back years.

In court on Friday, Sénécal made a tearful apology for killing the girl. "I'm going to blame myself for the rest of my life," he said. "My apologies don't fix anything, but I apologize just the same. I'm sorry."

He said he was also sorry for having hurt everyone, both his family and that of the girl's.

"I ask forgiveness, but I don't know how. It's not forgivable what I did," he said.

Quebec man says what he did is 'not forgivable,' pleads guilty to 2nd-degree murder of teen girl | CBC News


Quebec man pleads guilty in February 2020 killing of teen girl, sentenced to life

A Quebec man was sentenced to life in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to the February 2020 murder of 13-year-old Oceane Boyer.

Francois Senecal was sentenced after entering a plea on a reduced charge of second-degree murder at the courthouse in St-Jerome, Que., as the victim’s family packed the courtroom.

He was arrested and initially charged with first-degree murder in the days after the 13-year-old girl’s body was found on Feb. 26, 2020, by the side of a public road in Brownsburg-Chatham, Que., northwest of Montreal. She had been reported missing by her family after she failed to return from school.

Superior Court Justice France Charbonneau agreed with a joint recommendation by the Crown and defence that he spend 19 years in prison before being eligible for parole. A second-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence.

Charbonneau didn’t go into details but described the crime as despicable and cowardly.

Senecal, now 53, was a long-time friend of Boyer’s family and the victim considered him an uncle.

“Everyone trusted him,” Charbonneau said.

“However, rather than face the consequences of the acts of a sexual nature he had committed, Francois Senecal preferred to kill the young victim to silence her, and then erase all traces that could link to him by removing her pants, covered with hair from his dog,” Charbonneau said.

Her family and relatives told the court they will forever live with the hurt, pain and anger of losing Boyer.

“She was so young – 13 years old – how you do something so terrible, we will never understand what could have pushed you to commit such an act and if that wasn’t enough, you let us live through hell by waiting two years before pleading guilty,” Caroline Sarrazin, the young girl’s mother, told Senecal.

“You ruined our lives, you took away a part of ourselves.”

Veronique Sarrazin, one of the young girl’s aunts, said Feb. 26 will forever be engraved in the minds of the family. She told Senecal that forgiveness was not an option. “That day that you committed the irreparable, that day you took away our beautiful Oceane, our little angle,” the aunt told the court. “Our family will never be able to make up for her loss.”

Senecal cried as he said he wish he could go back and undo what had been done.

“I know my apologies are worth nothing, but I apologize the same,” he told the court in tears. “I would like to ask for forgiveness, but what I did is not forgivable.”

Quebec man pleads guilty in February 2020 killing of teen girl, sentenced to life - The Globe and Mail

 

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Man pleads guilty to murder of 13-year-old girl in Laurentian town

In a victim impact statement, one of Océane Boyer's relatives reminded François Sénécal that Océane knew him so well she referred to him as her uncle.

A man who killed the 13-year-old daughter of his close friend in the Laurentian town of Brownsburg-Chatham two years ago admitted on Friday he committed the horrific crime to cover up an “inappropriate relationship” he had with the girl months before.

François Sénécal, 53, uttered the word “guilty” after a clerk read the second-degree charge he admitted to out loud Friday afternoon at the St-Jérôme courthouse. With the guilty plea, he admitted he killed Océane Boyer, the daughter of Caroline Sarrazin, a woman he had been friends with for years. (Sénécal spoke from a section in the courtroom where a jury would normally sit for a trial; it appeared that he was placed in the jury box as a means to prevent the spread of COVID-19.)

Sénécal was originally charged with first-degree murder following his arrest in February 2020.

The details of what was behind the slaying were revealed in a judgment Superior Court Justice France Charbonneau prepared in advance of Sénécal’s guilty plea.

The decision detailed how Océane and her brother “always considered (Sénécal) to be their uncle and referred to him as ‘mon oncle’ and how he considered them to be members of his family.

“During the summer of 2019, the accused and the victim maintained an inappropriate relationship through rapprochements of a sexual nature in the pool of the accused."

“When school resumed at the end of the summer, contact between the victim and the accused became less and less frequent.”

On Feb. 25, 2020, during a dinner at a restaurant in Lachute, Sarrazin told Sénécal that Océane was going to see a psychologist, and Sénécal assumed the girl would reveal the details of their relationship.

The following day, Sénécal went to Océane’s school and somehow managed to bring her to his home, in an effort to convince her to cancel her appointment with the psychologist. While at his home, Océane said she would not only see the psychologist, but also intended to tell them about what happened over the summer.

Sénécal told the police he drugged the girl with several sleeping pills in an effort to stall her. As she began to lose consciousness, he placed her in his vehicle and drove away without considering where he was going. When her condition worsened, he grabbed a bullhorn and struck her on the head several times.

He left her unconscious on a snowbank on Horrem Rd. in Brownsburg-Chatham. He later told the police he removed her pants because his dog’s hairs were on the clothing and could be traced back to him.

A passerby found Océane, who was still alive, at 11:08 a.m. that day. The man called 911 and it took an ambulance 15 minutes to arrive at the scene. The girl was taken to a hospital in Lachute, where she died just before noon.

Sénécal was given the opportunity to make a statement during the hearing on Friday.

“I’m sorry,” he said after letting out three long gasps. “I know that my apology will mean little, but I apologize anyway,” he said. “I’m sorry to have brought suffering to you — to everybody.”

“Do you have anything else to add?” Charbonneau asked Sénécal.

“I don’t know,” he replied while continuing to sob. “I am not able to. I don’t know.”

Charbonneau read aloud from a part of her decision where she quoted a letter, signed by Océane’s mother as well as the victim’s two siblings and her aunts. They wrote that the loss of Océane will leave “indelible traces” on those who knew and loved her.

“Some of them have fallen into depression and others have nightmares and need to be medicated. Her brother and her sister have trouble with making peace with this terrible crime that took away their adored sister,” the judge said. “She trusted him and, instead of facing the consequences of the sexual (offences) he committed, François decided to kill this young victim to get rid of her and to erase all traces (of what he did).”

The guilty plea came with an automatic life sentence. Charbonneau agreed with a joint recommendation, from prosecutor Steve Baribeau and Sénécal’s lawyer Martin Latour, that Sénécal’s period of parole ineligibility be set at 19 years. The minimum is 10 years.

The body of Océane Boyer, 13, was found on a highway near Brownsburg-Chatham, northwest of Montreal, on Feb. 26, 2020. Facebook

Man pleads guilty to murder of 13-year-old girl in Laurentian town | Montreal Gazette