Quebec man charged with second-degree murder after mother stabbed to death

Quebec man charged with second-degree murder after neighbour stabbed to death.

Accident – Death – Obituary News :

Mental Health History of Murder Suspect Revealed in Montreal Stabbing Attack

MONTREAL — The man accused of committing a stabbing attack that resulted in the deaths of two women and left another seriously injured in Vaudreuil-Dorion, a suburb of Montreal, has a troubling history of serious mental health issues. Fabio Puglisi, 44, who has recently been charged with assaulting a stranger in the same neighborhood, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder on Friday.

The victims, identified as 68-year-old Elisabetta Puglisi-Caucci and 53-year-old Manon Blanchard, were stabbed in a condo tower. Another neighbor, a 70-year-old woman, was also attacked and is currently in critical condition but is expected to survive. The accused, whose hands were bandaged, appeared in court through a video conference and was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine his fitness to stand trial.

According to prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel, Puglisi’s defense lawyer Alexandre Dubé believes that his client is not fit to stand trial. As a result, a psychiatric evaluation was requested by the court. Court documents reveal that Puglisi had previously been found not criminally responsible for offenses committed in 2012 and 2020.

In 2012, Puglisi faced charges of assault with a weapon, dangerous driving, and hit-and-run following a road-rage incident on a Montreal highway. A mental health review deemed it to be “an attack on a motorist on the highway in a paranoid delusional experience.” The second incident involved a fraud case in 2018, where Puglisi sold a fake work of art attributed to renowned Quebec artist Jean-Paul Riopelle.

In October 2020, the province’s mental health review board, the Commission d’examen des troubles mentaux, deemed Puglisi to not pose a risk to public safety. He was released without any conditions as his mental state was considered stable, and he provided care for his mother, with whom he lived. The commission observed that he had strong family support. Reports indicate that Puglisi has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder since 2007.

More recently, Puglisi was charged with assaulting a woman unrelated to him in Vaudreuil-Dorion on November 16. He was due to appear in court last week for this case. As part of his bail conditions, Puglisi is prohibited from contacting the surviving neighbor or her family members. His next court appearance will be in person.

Quebec Premier François Legault, who grew up near Vaudreuil-Dorion, expressed his anger over the killings but emphasized the need for a proper investigation before proposing any new legislation. He stated, “It’s too soon to know whether this could have been prevented. The investigation has to happen, and we have to see exactly what happened and whether we should have known that this man was dangerous.” Legault assured that if necessary, they would consider implementing stricter measures.

This tragic incident has left the community in shock and mourning. Further details and updates on the case are awaited as the investigation by Quebec provincial police continues.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 16, 2024.

Sources

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press

Image Source: Surete du Quebec police outside an apartment in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., west of Montreal, where multiple people were stabbed on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. Quebec provincial police continue to investigate after a stabbing attack west of Montreal that left two women dead and a third critically injured.

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– Quebec man charged with second-degree murder mother neighbour stabbed death
– Quebec man charged second-degree murder mother neighbour stabbed death.