Chris Gobin's father opens up about family's loss, struggle
CBC News | Posted: May 8, 2014 9:13 PM | Last Updated: May 8, 2014
Jacques Gobin says family had sought help from the health care system for Chris Gobin in 2013
Jacques Gobin will see his 18-year-old son Chris Gobin on Friday in person for the first time since Chris was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his mother, Jacques Gobin's wife.
"I am father to Chris and I'm also the husband to Luce," Jacques Gobin said. "I have two roles, so it's very important tomorrow for Chris, I think, that I be there in a father capacity, and a loving father capacity; that he gets that type of support, that he doesn't feel alone.
"I think I'll be happy again some day, but I don't know when that will be," he said. "But what very much helps is all the support that I get from the community, from family, from friends. It tells me, 'Jacques, hold on. We're with you, buddy.'"
- WATCH | Jacques Gobin speaks to Radio-Canada's Pascal-Marie Dufour
On Thursday, Jacques Gobin brought Radio-Canada into his family's Orleans home to discuss what it's been like in the 16 days since he found his wife, 49-year-old Luce Lavertu, on April 22, suffering from a slash wound to the throat. He dialed 911, and when paramedics arrived Lavertu was unconscious and had no vital signs. She was later pronounced dead.
Their son, Chris Gobin, was not in the house when Jacques Gobin found Lavertu. Chris Gobin was arrested by police nearby and has been charged with one count of first-degree murder.
Jacques Gobin told reporters Wednesday at court that his son had been struggling mentally before the incident.
On Thursday, Jacques Gobin told Radio-Canada that the family had sought help from the health care system for Chris in 2013, but that he couldn't go into details about it. He said the details will come out in court.
Since the incident, Jacques Gobin said he's received many messages of support at work, at home, from friends and family, and from complete strangers.
His teenage daughter is getting help from friends and psychologists at school, he said, and is trying not to let the situation overpower her. On Thursday he said he didn't yet know if she'd be coming to see Chris at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre.
He said he hopes to be able to touch Chris.
"The first thing I want to do is hug him. I want to hug him and tell him that I do love him, and just to have courage, to have faith that he can get through this," Jacques Gobin said. "As much as I'm going through hell, he's also going through hell, and I have to be a father to him that way and support him as he goes through these steps."
Chris Gobin's next court appearance is scheduled for May 14.