Guy Turcotte's 2nd trial on children's murder charges begins Monday
Not criminally responsible verdict in 1st trial annulled by Quebec Court of Appeal
Former Quebec cardiologist Guy Turcotte will return to court on murder charges starting today, nearly six years after the deaths of his children — Olivier Turcotte, 5, and his three-year-old sister Anne-Sophie.
Turcotte, 43, was released on bail last year after the new trial was ordered by Quebec's Court of Appeal. That trial is set to begin with jury selection Monday at the courthouse Saint-Jérôme, about 50 kilometres north of Montreal.
Turcotte was charged with first-degree murder in 2009.
His children were found dead in his home in Piedmont, Que., near Saint-Jérôme, in February 2009.
Though he admitted to killing his children, the jury in his first trial, in 2011, returned a verdict of not criminally responsible after 10 days of deliberations.
The saga drew international headlines and reignited the debate over criminal responsibility in Canada.
18 months at psychiatric facility
Instead of prison, Turcotte was taken to a Montreal's Pinel Institute, a secure psychiatric facility, which he would be able to leave if a review board determined he no longer presented a threat.
Eighteen months later, the Mental Health Assessment Commission said Turcotte has made enough progress to be released. He left the facility and was ordered to follow conditions that included seeing a psychologist and having no contact with his ex-wife or her family.
In the meantime, the Crown appealed the jury's verdict, citing an error of law made by the trial judge.
Released on bail
In November 2013, the Appeal Court annulled the first verdict, ordering Turcotte to stand trial again on two counts of first-degree murder.
After nearly a year and a half of freedom, Turcotte turned himself in and was taken back into custody.
Turcotte's lawyers in turn took their fight to the Supreme Court, arguing their client should not be tried again. The country's top court refused to hear his appeal.
The former doctor, however, has been living in the community as he awaited his new trial.
He was released on $100,000 bail in the fall of 2014 and ordered to live at his uncle's home on the South Shore as he awaited his new court date.