A jury found a Canadian man guilty of two murders and five attempted murders,in a Halloween night attack in Quebec City with a samurai sword while wearing a mediaeval costume, a
Carl Girouard, 26, had terrorised his victims in a seemingly random manner for many hours as the capital of Canada’s French-speaking province celebrated Halloween on October 31, 2020.
Two people were killed, including a woman who’s throat was slit with a Katana sword — a curved sabre of the type once used by Samurai warriors in Japan. Five were wounded.
Girouard was arrested without resistance after a manhunt that lasted hours in the city’s Old Quebec neighbourhood, which is designated a UNESCO heritage site.
“We are very happy for the victims’ families who today will be able to turn the page and, we hope, heal their wounds,” prosecutor Francois Godin said outside the courthouse after the verdict was delivered.
“It won’t bring us back our loved ones, but society will be protected,” commented the sister-in-law of one of the victims, Suzanne Clermont.
Girouard admitted in court to the killings but blamed a mental health disorder for his actions, and had entered a plea of not criminally responsible.
At trial he reportedly testified that he’d wanted to kill as many people as possible, and felt compelled to carry out the rampage.
Public broadcaster CBC said he described to jurors having two personalities, or “two Carls in my head,” and had hatched his deadly “mission” in order to sow chaos.
The prosecution, however, argued that Girouard was able to distinguish right from wrong when he stalked the streets of Quebec City, and had planned this attack over several years.
Killed were 56-year-old Francois Duchesne and 61-year-old Clermont. Four men, ranging in age from 19 to 67, were wounded, as was a then 24-year-old woman.
Lisa Mahmoud, who survived the attack, said she finds it “hard to rejoice” but praised the verdict.
The hairdresser informed reporters that she still has difficulties sleeping and has not returned to work, and that she is still undergoing rehabilitation to restore her full motor skills.
Girouard’s sentencing hearing is scheduled on June 10. Meanwhile, his lawyer has stated that he intends to appeal the verdict.
