More questions than answers!

Good Day Readers:

Sitting through first the December 2011 Kelly Clarke trial and then the Labossiere-Hince proceedings has raised some burning questions:

(1) Since Michel Hince has been acquitted is there a serial killer on the loose out there responsible for the deaths of Fernand and Rita Labossiere? Will the RCMP renew its investigation for the person(s) responsible?

(2) Will Jerome Labossiere appeal his first degree murder convictions?

(3) Given sufficient doubt was raised to secure a Hince conviction, will the Crown revoke star witness Jeremie Toupin's plea bargain-immunity deal which saw 3-first degrees bargained down to  3-second degrees with a parole eligibility recommendation after 10-years?

(4) The list goes on .....

Jerome Labossiere still faces 3-counts of conspiracy to commit murder of two other family members, as well as, an acquaintance. We have been unable to independently verify the rumour a jury trial will take place during March 2012.

Then there's the "little matter" of a kilogram of cocaine exchanged in 2006 between Hells Angels Associate Jerome Labossiere and Vera Dew wife of former Manitoba HA President Ernie Dew (currently serving time in Stoney Mountain prison) on multiple drug trafficking convictions (cocaine). Apparently, it happened while Mr. Dew was away hunting. Both pleaded guilty for their role in that transaction but we were unable to find any sentencing record

Adding Up The Years

The earliest Jerome Labossiere can apply for parole on his 3-first degree murder convictions is 25 years. There are no guarantees it will be granted. If he's convicted on three counts of conspiracy to commit murder that too will have to be factured into the time equation. Then there's the one kilogram cocaine transaction. If Mr. Labossiere ever sees the light of day again he will be so old the only person to whom he will pose a danger is himself.  

Defence lawyer Greg Brodsky who represented Kelly Clarke found guilty (late December last year - 2-counts first degree murder) in the April 2008 deaths of grandchildren Joel and Magdalena Labossiere indicated there could be an appeal. However, the 30-day window of opportunity has passed.

Their New "Long Term Care Facilities"

Since Manitoba's Stony Mountain penitentiary is medium security, Kelly Clarke and Jerome Labossiere will find themselves at a maximum facility in another province either east or west of here. After two years they can apply for a transfer closer to their homes but again there are no guarantees.

Now it's time to switch to the high-profile second degree murder trial of Mark Stobbe which we've already started attending. Given the vast preponderance of evidence gathered in 2000 by RCMP forensic experts and crime scene investigators back in 2000 submitted to date (They're only at witness 3 of what will be more than 60!), why did it take until 2008 for Manitoba Justice to finally lay a second degree charge? Hopefully, down the road British Columbia Crown Prosecutor Wendy Dawson will be able to provide some insight.

Both Ms Daswon and lead defence counsel Tim Killeen are to be commended for being approachable and making themselves available to the media. Courtroom 230 is one of the larger ones at The Law Courts. Now if we can only get Justice Chris Martin to speak a little closer to the microphone.

Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk

Postscript
Will someone please correct us! Not once can we recall any reference being made either during the Kelly Clarke trial or Hince-Labossiere of the latter's Hells Angels association. If we're correct why was that?
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Labossiere family member grapples with murder verdict
Thursday, February 2, 2012

A Manitoba woman whose parents and brother were murdered by another brother is angry that her brother's alleged co-accused was acquitted.

Paulette Desrochers was in a Winnipeg courtroom Wednesday night to see a jury convict her brother, Denis Jerome Labossiere, on three counts of first-degree murder for the 2005 slayings of their parents Fernand Labossiere, 78, and Rita Labossiere, 74, and their brother Remi Labossiere, 44.

The bodies of the three Labossiere members were found in the basement of their farm house in St. Leon, Manitoba, after a fire in November 26, 2005. It was later determined they had been shot.

"Mom, Dad and Remi were gone forever from my life. Nothing can replace the void, the pain, the heartache that I feel," Desrochers said in her victim impact statement to the court.

With regards to Jerome Labossiere, Desrochers said, "My grief for the brother that I loved so much that threw his life away because of his wrong choices is a heartache that will never go away."

"God might forgive you but I never will," she added. "I just virtually hope you relive my loved [ones'] last moments for every minute of your life."

Court was told that Jerome Labossiere wanted his brother killed because he was unhappy with how Remi was running the family's $1.3-million farm.

Hince a free man

But the jury found Labossiere's co-accused, Michel Hince, not guilty on all three murder counts. As a result, Hince is a free man for the first time since 2008.

"Basically what the justice system is telling you is that with a good lawyer, you can get away with anything," Desrochers told CBC News on Thursday.

Hince's lawyer, Evan Roitenberg, said the acquittal boiled down to what he said was shaky testimony from Jeremie Toupin, the Crown's key witness.

Toupin claimed that he and Hince were paid $10,000 by Jerome Labossiere to carry out the shootings.

But Roitenberg argued that Hince was not there and suggested that Toupin's older brother could have been a part of the killings.

"If his story wasn't believed, well, then there was no evidence left against my client," Roitenberg told CBC News.

With Labossiere found guilty of first-degree murder, he was automatically sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility of parole for 25 years.

As she read out her victim impact statement, Desrochers said she tried to study her brother's face.

"I knew this would be the last time I'd probably see him, and I'm still grasping, like, 'Geez, you know, show some remorse. Just show something,'" she said.

Paulette Desrochers' victim impact statement

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Everything I have to say here today is what the last six years have been for me and my family.

My life changed forever on November 26, 2005. Mom, Dad, and Remi were gone forever from my life. Nothing can replace the void, the pain, the heartache that I feel.

I will always grieve the last moments with my brother Remi, who's [sic] life was taken away too soon. I grieve for the denial of my mom and my dad's golden years.

I grieve for the loss of time with family and for the lost moments that my grandchildren will never be able to share with their great-grandparents and great-uncle.

I grieve for the lost moments with my brothers and sisters that were taken away from me because of how this tragedy affected everybody.

My grief for the brother that I loved so much that threw his life away because of his wrong choices, is a heartache that will never go away.

I wonder how could he possibly have been part of this terrible tragedy. What right did you have to decide their fate that night?

I will never be able to forget the brutality of events in which Mom, Dad, and Remi were taken away from us. It will forever haunt me.

There are no words that can possibly describe the ache in my heart or the emptiness in my life.

There are three generations of the Labossiere family that will be scarred forever.

I will never get a chance to say goodbye. It bothers me.

God might forgive you but I never will. I just virtually hope you relive my loved ones [sic] last moments every minute of your life.

I want to be grateful for family, friends and the special people out there that are walking with me in this difficult journey.

Mom, Dad and Remi I will always miss and love you.