LAVAL – After two days of deliberations, a jury has declared Eric Daudelin guilty of the first-degree murder of a nine-year-old girl.
Daudelin was also found guilty of sexual assault and forcible confinement.
The verdict comes nearly 20 years after police found the body of Joleil Campeau in a stream in a wooded area in Laval’s Auteuil region.
She was discovered four days after she was reported missing in 1995.
For years, detectives in Laval suspected Eric Daudelin, an area resident, who was considered a person of interest because of his history of sex crimes.He confessed to the crime in Vancouver, B.C. in 2011.
In June 2011, police said that they had accumulated enough evidence to arrest the now 39-year-old man with first degree murder, sexual assault, and forcible confinement, which brought some relief to those who know the victim’s family.
“We will never forget. It’s impossible,” says family friend Sylvie Rainville.
“At the centre of the police’s investigation is an undercover technique called Mister Big,” prosecutor Pierre-Luc Rolland told Global News.
In the Mister Big operation, detectives went undercover pretending to be criminals.
They reportedly invited Daudelin to become a member of the group, and at one point, Daudelin allegedly made confessions.
“I don’t know, there are a few things that really bug me in this matter,” Daudelin told Global News.
“It’s a sneaky tactic.”
Watch: Murder trial of Eric Daudelin
Another part of the crown’s evidence is scientific: Daudelin’s DNA was found on the victim’s clothes.
Police say it was only uncovered a few years ago, thanks to advances in technology.
Back in 1995, DNA tests came back negative.
“These clothes were in the water for four days, and they find it and they say it’s a perfect match?” Daudein asked.
“I have a problem with that.”
An ex-prisoner, one of Eric Daudelin’s former cell mates, took the stand during the trial, sharing secret conversations he had with the accused behind bars.
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