The cross-examination of Steve Lévesque, accused of 2nd degree murder of Maxime Dugas-Lepage in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts in January 2020, continued Monday morning at the Rimouski courthouse. The criminal and penal prosecuting attorney resumed what he had begun before the break of just over a week because of COVID-19.
The jury members received positive coronavirus test results. Therefore, the jury hearing was suspended last week as 12 jurors completed a period of incarceration.
The procedures were therefore continued for the sixth week.
The criminal and penal prosecuting attorney, Jérôme Simard, questioned the accused to obtain details on the course of the days following the alleged murder.
Jérôme Simard notably asked Steve Lévesque to provide more details on how he would dispose of the gun the victim would have pointed at him before he died. In his testimony, the accused explained in court that the gunshot that would have killed Maxime Dugas-Lepage was unintentional, as he was trying to disarm him.
The prosecutor asked the accused if he correctly threw the gun in question in the trash of a rest area on Highway 20, before it had been cleaned of the victim’s blood.
As he did in his examination-in-chief, Steve Lévesque explained that he would have taken the weapon to the ground, near the victim, and he would have put it in a bag. He even said he would not have taken the gun out of the bag before throwing the bag in the trash in the rest area.
Master Simard asked him if he remembered where this rest stop was. The accused replied that he did not remember.
The prosecutor reminded the accused that he would appear to have taken many precautions not to leave traces or footprints, as he allegedly tried to dispose of the victim’s body, including wearing gloves for several hours.
He asked Steve Lévesque to find out why, when he had taken all these precautions, he decided to throw the gun in a public place, in the sunlight, without first cleaning it.
The accused simply replied that this would have been the way he would have disposed of the victim’s gun.
The cross-examination is scheduled to continue on Monday afternoon.
The jury must be sequestered by the end of the day Thursday or Friday to begin its deliberation.
In the meantime, Judge François Huot will give them his instructions within a week.
Source: Radio-Canada
