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Quebec Mother to Be Charged with Children's Deat
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5 Jan 2009, 22:12
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Quebec police say a Saguenay woman will be charged Monday with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children.

Cathy Gauthier-Lachance will appear in court either in person or via teleconference from her hospital bed, where she has been since the bodies of her children and husband were discovered in the family home on New Year's Day.

The court appearance is expected to take place at 3 p.m. Monday.

Police said there is enough evidence to pursue first-degree murder charges against Gauthier-Lachance for the children's slayings.

Police allege Gauthier-Lachance and her husband, Marc Laliberté, 46, had plotted a murder-suicide pact.

The bodies of Laliberté, Joelle Laliberté, 12, Marc-Ange Laliberté, 7, and Louis-Philippe Laliberté, 4, were found by investigators early Friday in a bungalow in the Chicoutimi borough of Saguenay, about 250 kilometres north of Quebec City.

Laliberté had signs of slash marks on his body. The children had no signs of violence, according to police. Autopsies will be conducted on all four bodies this week to determine the causes of death.

Gauthier-Lachance is recovering from slash wounds to her arms.

Police have not publicly speculated on a possible motive for the deaths. However, family members have said the couple was under financial strain.

Laliberté had stopped working as a real estate agent in recent months. Gauthier-Lachance left her job at a women's clothing store just before Christmas.

The owner of the store, Guylène Potvin, said she sensed a deep sadness in the woman, a factor that she said ultimately led to Gauthier-Lachance leaving the job after one month.

"She was a woman with allure. She had good qualities to work in my store," said Potvin. "But the thing she lacked, that I demand as a priority, is a smile

Officials at the Chicoutimi school the Laliberté siblings attended were preparing Monday for the return of class without the three children.

Counsellors will be on hand when students return on Tuesday, said Yvon Pelletier, director of the Commission scolaire des Rives-du-Saguenay.

"In the classes of the children who died, there will be a counsellor in the class to discuss with them what happened and their feelings," said Pelletier. "For all the other students, there will be professionals at the school."

He said he hopes parents discuss what happened with their children before they arrive at school. That way, he said, counsellors can help the pupils deal with their feelings instead of simply breaking the news.

"Students are like adults. They are touched in different ways. They are individuals," said Pelletier.

Experts say suicide rates are on the decline in Quebec.

Brian Mishara, a psychology professor at the University of Quebec at Montreal, said rates are down because resources are more easily available for people who need help.

"Quebec suicide rates in the past 10 years have gone down dramatically, particularly for youth. There was a 50 per cent decrease in the youth suicide rate," said Mishara, who is also the founder of the suicide prevention organization, Suicide-Action Montreal.

He said people who are about to attempt suicide often express their intention either directly, or indirectly, to others.

"Most people who attempt suicide indicate to others often directly, and sometimes indirectly, that they are in a desperate situation and are thinking of killing themselves," he said.


0 likes [|reply]
5 Jan 2009, 22:12
Bittersweet
Post Count: 56
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/01/05/mtl-saguenay-court-0509.html

I got the article there!
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5 Jan 2009, 22:15
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I personally cannot understand how anyone in their right mind can kill their children.

I really hope that with three counts of first degree murder that this woman can be put in jail for the rest of her life.
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6 Jan 2009, 11:32
& skull.
Post Count: 1701
did someone discover this as it happened? it'd interesting that they only found her alive.
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