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Date: 4/22/02
Time: 10:56:24 PM
Remote Name: 152.163.204.204
No doubt Hells Angels leader is guilty of murder: Crown Closing arguments presented at Boucher trial Canadian Press Monday, April 22, 2002 MONTREAL -- When the evidence at the murder trial of Hells Angels leader Maurice (Mom) Boucher is examined in its entirety, and in proper context, there is no reasonable doubt that he is guilty, prosecutor France Charbonneau said Monday. Charbonneau, in her closing arguments to the jury, said she has presented plenty of credible evidence during 13 days of testimony to prove Boucher ordered the deaths of two prison guards in 1997.
Boucher is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
Charbonneau focused heavily Monday on the credibility of two star Crown witnesses, bikers who became informants after their arrests.
Although both men were rigorously cross-examined by defence lawyer Jacques Larochelle as to their pasts as drug dealers and fraud artists, Charbonneau said they had insider knowledge about Boucher and the guards' murders that can't be discounted.
Stephane (Godasse) Gagne, who is serving a life sentence for his role in the murders, did not get his orders directly from Boucher, said Charbonneau.
However, one of the men Gagne took orders from - Andre (Toots) Tousignant - was murdered in 1997, while the second - Paul (Fon Fon) Fontaine - went into hiding and has eluded police.
"Gagne is close to Maurice Boucher and the organization,'' said Charbonneau.
"If you believe Stephane Gagne a little bit, or in part . . . there is only one possible verdict - guilty of all charges.''
At the heart of Gagne's testimony was a conversation he said he had with Boucher in an alley the day after guard Diane Lavigne was murdered on June 26, 1997.
Gagne said Boucher congratulated him, told him not to worry about the fact Lavigne was a woman, and warned him not to talk about it to anyone because it could mean 25 years in jail.
Larochelle challenged Gagne on his version of events, saying he had contradicted himself from earlier police statements as to when and where Boucher warned him he could end up spending 25 years in jail.
But Charbonneau cautioned the jury not to get caught up in unimportant details.
She used the analogy of an assault at a family wedding and someone having to testify about it four years later. She said that just because a witness doesn't remember what colour dress a family member wore or who sat next to who at the head table, it doesn't mean there wasn't a wedding or an assault.
Charbonneau drew the jury's attention to another key conversation entered into evidence, this time one that biker-turned-informant Serge Boutin overheard between Boucher and another biker, Normand Robitaille.
Boutin testified he heard Boucher tell Robitaille: "We're all going to be arrested'' at a time when rumours swirled that Gagne had become an informant.
"In this context what other reasonable explanation could there be than Maurice Boucher had a guilty conscience,'' said Charbonneau.