TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2004
Sophie Landry
This site experienced a surge of visits yesterday. Checking my Site Meter, I found out why. In the wake of Guy Croteau's murder conviction, people were looking for more information on the case. But they weren't coming here for me, they weren't searching for Croteau. The words people kept Googling over and over were "Sophie Landry".
We've been accustomed to thinking that the offender holds all the interest and fascination. It is heartening, in this instance at least, that people want to learn more about the victim. I can't tell you anything about Sophie Landry. I didn't know her. But it's nice to know people are still thinking about her, that they care about her.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2004
Croteau Attempts Suicide
the judge said five to ten
but I say double that again...
Moments after being convicted of the murder of Sophie Landry, Guy Croteau tries to slit his wrists in front of crowded courtroom.
Guy The Knife Could Walk
In a move I can only describe as, well... stupid... jurors in the Guy Croteau murder trial have asked to review the tapes of the closing arguments for each lawyer.
Recall that Croteau (irony of ironies: did I mention that "croteau" means "cut" in French) is charged with the 1987 death of 16-year-old Sophie Landry who was stabbed 173 times.
Hey jury! Let me make it easy for you...
SHE WAS STABBED 173 TIMES!!!!
So what could be holding up the jury? That's easy: utter confusion courtesy of the Judge. It turns out that - thanks to Superior Court Justice James Brunton - jurors are unaware that Croteau is awaiting trial on multiple charges of sexual assault, forcible confinement and robbery involving 10 other females age 10 to 18.
Brunton deemed this information prejudicial to the defendant.
Oy vey! With judges like this, who needs criminals!
Also, Justice Brunton disallowed testimony from profiler, Marc Lepine (No, not that Marc Lepine, in another irony, the Surete profiler shares the name of one of Quebec's most prolific murderers).
So what does the jury have to go on? Not much. That a girl was found stabbed to death with the defendant's sperm inside her. Defending attorney, Marc Labelle, has argued that Croteau might have raped her, but it doesn't mean he killed her. This might make sense except for the fact that in the matter of the other assaults:
- All of the victims were teenagers.
- All of the victims were assaulted on the South Shore of Montreal
- They were all found in isolated areas
- A knife was used in each incident.
Also, Croteau's m.o. is well established: he works alone; his pick-up line is usually of the, "hey, kid, can you help me find my lost puppy?" ilk. If Croteau raped Landry, then he most likely killed her too; there wouldn't have been a buddy around to blame.
Despite these points, Justice Brunton ruled there was not enough proof of a connection between the Landry murder and the sexual assaults.
Justice Brunton: that's French for knucklehead.
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