'Prison is what caused all the problems,' says Raymond Cormier, accused in Tina Fontaine homicide

Raymond Cormier, the man accused of killing Tina Fontaine, has spent so much of his adult life in jail he doesn't know how to survive on the outside, according to court documents obtained by CBC News.

Cormier, 53, was charged last week with second-degree murder in the death of 15-year-old Fontaine, whose body was recovered from the Red River in Winnipeg in August 2014.

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His criminal file contains at least 92 prior convictions across Canada, with recent offences involving crystal meth possession and assault with a weapon.

"Prison is what caused all the problems," Cormier said during a court hearing in March. "I was removed from my parents' house when I was 13 years old."

Cormier told court that he went to a reform school. He also alleged that he had been molested.

"There's more to me than that file over there," he said. "I'm not that guy."

His lawyer, Pam Smith, said her client describes himself as "institutionalized" and de-socialized from the years he has spent in jail.

Smith is also representing Cormier on the murder charge.

Came from 'a number of elsewheres'

At a provincial court hearing on Feb. 3, Cormier pleaded guilty to simple possession of crystal meth, a highly addictive drug.

The Crown told court that on July 5, 2014, Winnipeg police came into contact with Cormier in a back lane near Queenston Street, in the River Heights neighbourhood, after someone called to report a vehicle in the lane with the trunk open, scattered items and a man looking incoherent in the front seat.

Officers arrived to find Cormier inside a 2012 Suzuki vehicle. They also found a clear glass container with half a gram of crystal meth, court was told.

The Crown and defence agreed that a fine would be appropriate in that case. Both lawyers also acknowledged Cormier's lengthy criminal record.

Smith told court during the hearing that Cormier is not from Winnipeg — he is originally from New Brunswick — and he has been transferred from "a number of elsewheres" over the years.

When he was released from Stony Mountain Institution, he found himself on the streets and started using drugs, Smith said, adding that her client was facing other provincial charges.

'Jail's not working,' Cormier told judge

When Judge Lee Ann Martin asked Cormier if he had anything to say, he said, "It's a long story."

"Yeah, I was having a brief look at your record and it looks like jail has been your life since about 1978," Martin said.

"It's not working. Jail's not working," Cormier replied. "It's just making me more and more unable to…."

".…Do anything on the outside, and I understand that," said the judge, who later told him, "Sounds like you're going to need a lot of help the next time."

Cormier told the court, "Sounds like I'm going to have to figure something out because something's wrong" and said he was hoping to check out programs at the Behavioural Health Foundation.

Martin said she had heard of a few good residential programs and encouraged Cormier to ask around. She then imposed a fine of $50, plus a $17 surcharge.

"It's meth, $70 worth, but in the circumstances — and quite frankly, given the way your life has been going since 1978 — the fine I'm going to be imposing is $50," she told Cormier.

"I'm completely destitute," he replied.

After some discussion with the lawyers, Martin agreed to give Cormier a day — his court appearance date — to pay the fine. Since he was unable to pay, the court appearance served in lieu of payment of the fine. 

'Danger to society,' Crown argued

Just over a month later, on March 12, Cormier was back in court to be sentenced for assault with a weapon. He had pleaded guilty to that charge for brandishing a screwdriver at a loss prevention officer while trying to steal meat from a Winnipeg Safeway store on Aug. 23, 2014.

The Crown pointed to Cormier's extensive criminal record and noted that he has had his parole revoked on numerous occasions.

"The court has to address the public safety concern that Mr. Cormier poses when he's free at large in the public," the prosecutor said.

Smith said Cormier had a job when he was released from Stony Mountain Institution in August 2013, but he became injured while working and he went back to the streets and started using meth, she said.

Cormier tried to live at the Salvation Army shelter on Henry Street but found it too rowdy, so he lived on the streets and picked up bottles and cans to support his meth habit, Smith added.

As for the Safeway incident, Cormier told court he did not intend to hurt anyone when he pulled out the screwdriver; rather, he just wanted to escape.

While Cormier said he did not hurt the loss prevention officer, the Crown said the incident was scary for the employee.

By this time, Cormier had been accepted to a Behavioural Health Foundation program, said Smith, who added that her client had also spoken to a religious leader on the streets and talked about addictions programs at Forward House Ministries.

Smith called for time served — by then, Cormier had been in custody for five months and 12 days — while the Crown sought a 12-month sentence for assault with a weapon followed by six months for breaching a court order.

In the end, Cormier was sentenced to 10 months. With credit given for his time in custody, he was ordered to serve four months and 18 days.

Winnipeg police arrested Cormier in the Vancouver area on Dec. 9 and transported back to Winnipeg. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on the murder charge on Tuesday.