Murder at the Maxi: Randy Tshilumba guilty of first-degree murder

Photo archive

Michael Nguyen

Friday, 20 October, 2017 15:52

UPDATE
Friday, 20 October, 2017 15:52

Look at this article

The young man accused of killing Leniency Beaulieu-Patry in the middle of a grocery store in Montreal has just been found guilty of murder in the first degree.

“Guilty “, launched the president of the jury, condemning Randy Tshilumba for the murder of Leniency Beaulieu-Patry.

The jurors have therefore adhered to the theory of the Crown that the accused was not suffering from a mental disorder that prevented him from distinguishing right from wrong at the time of his crime, and that he had premeditated his crime.

The accused 21-year-old will be as well sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole before 25 years of age.

Drama

The tragedy occurred on April 10, 2016, in a grocery store, Maxi rue Papineau in Montreal, where worked Leniency Beaulieu-Patry. Tshilumba was presented on-site, with gloves and a hunting knife. After being directed in the section of clothes, the accused pulled out his weapon, and stabbed his victim 14 times before fleeing.

It was then a refugee in the washroom of a Tim Hortons not far from there, where it is changed in addition to texting friends. He then made several searches, including on Leniency as well as how to get rid of a weapon, and on how to commit murder and perfect.

During the trial, he was justified in saying that he had developed the conviction that Mercy Beaulieu-Patry and her friends wanted to kill him. And that the day of the drama, he just wanted to “make peace” with the victim. However, the latter reportedly pointed the finger. Tshilumba said to have understood through this gesture that the young woman would “get a gun” from his pocket and commit a slaughter. It is so forbidden, he said.

Two experts in legal psychiatry had diagnosed Tshilumba with psychiatric disorders. Relatives had also testified to confirm that Tshilumba seemed to have developed delusions more than a year before the tragedy.

Counsel Philippe Larochelle and Sébastien Chartrand of the defence felt that their client should be found not criminally responsible for his actions. The Crown, represented by Catherine Perreault, demanded a verdict of first-degree murder.

The lawyers will return to Court next Wednesday, in order to complete the file. The close of Mercy Beaulieu-Patry may apply to the court, either by testifying or by filing a letter in order to explain the consequences that the crime of Tshilumba has caused.