Emotions were raw as a 23-year-old man facing several serious charges related to a fatal hit and run on New Year’s Day appeared in a Montreal courtroom on Wednesday.
Antoine Dubuc renounced his right to a bail hearing, and Crown prosecutors added new charges against him.
People close to two men in their 30s who lost their lives in the alleged incident are still struggling to come to terms with what happened. The family and friends of 31-year-old Michael Chintakis left the court house feeling anger and hurt.
“All of our hearts have been ripped out of our chest and we have no form of dealing with it. We just have to cope,” said Spiro Ilias Chintakis’ close friend.
“We’ve been devastated and a lot of us just haven’t been well, physically and mentally, since it happened,” said Chintakis’ cousin Brigitte Papadakis.
Around 1 a.m. Jan. 1, Chintakis and 30-year-old Augustin Wesley Katimba were struck by a car and killed at the corner of L’Acadie and Henri Bourassa boulevards.
Katimba, a nurse and married father of two from Namibia, was leaving church. Chintakis was heading to a New Year’s party.
Chintakis’ family wanted to be present for Dubuc’s latest court appearance.
“Obviously I’m upset,” said cousin Matthew Sotos. “I want to see this guy prosecuted and put in jail.”
Dubuc renounced his right to a bail hearing just as his court appearance was set to begin. He was already facing charges of dangerous driving causing death, fleeing the scene of a deadly collision and impaired driving causing death. The Crown prosecutor added a new charge of driving with a blood alcohol limit over 0.08 causing death.
“After we obtained new evidence, the prosecution is able to add these charges,” said Crown lawyer Anik Archambault.
Sotos wants to see Dubuc face serious consequences.
“Drunk driving and murder, that’s what it should be. It shouldn’t be just manslaughter because he killed two people and the other guy had kids. It should be a full life in prison,” he said.
Dubuc appeared via video conference from the Bordeaux detention centre wearing a grey sweater. He has short brown hair, a mustache and showed no visible emotion. Those close to Chintakis said it was difficult to look at the accused.
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“It was really tough. I got sick to my stomach, I’ll admit,” said Papadakis. “It was really difficult, harder than I thought it would be.”
The family thanked everyone who donated to a GoFundMe that raised over $30,000 to cover funeral costs for Chintakis.
“That GoFundMe is a representation of all the good things that Michael had to leave behind and all the memories,” said Sotos.
They said they gave about $10,000 of the raised money to the wife of Augustin Katimba.
Ilias said he’s keeping in touch with her and offering support.
“Michael’s family is here for her,” he said. “Michael and and Augustin are brothers now, so she’s my sister.”
Chintakis’ loved ones say they will keep attending court hearings until justice is served. Dubuc’s next appearance is March 20.
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