Judge says Montreal man not criminally responsible for killing parents, grandmother

A Montreal man has been found not criminally responsible for stabbing his parents and grandmother to death in their home in 2023.

Arthur Galarneau, 22, was impassive today in Quebec Superior Court as Justice Annie Émond agreed with a joint submission from the Crown and defence that had been presented during a trial in December.

Psychiatrists had recommended that Galarneau be found not criminally responsible for the crimes because he was suffering from schizophrenia with delusions, hallucinations, and psychotic symptoms.

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Galarneau had been charged with second-degree murder in the March 2023 stabbing deaths of his mother Mylène Gingras, 53, father Richard Galarneau, also 53, and his grandmother Francine Gingras-Boucher, 75.

The Crown has said it intends to seek a high-risk offender status for Galarneau, which would impose tighter restrictions on his movements at a psychiatric facility.

Émond ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Galarneau in relation to the application for high-risk offender status, with the case returning to court Feb. 23.

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