As victim is buried- charges are laid

First suspect in court;
police head to Alberta to
pick up co-accused.

ALLISON HANES
The Gazette
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
"As one man was formally charged yesterday with the
first-degree murder of gas station attendant
Brigitte Serre, two Montreal detectives flew to
Edmonton to pick up a second suspect arrested in
her death.
All three suspects wanted in the hold-up and slaying
last Wednesday were in police custody as the
17-year-old cashier was laid to rest yesterday at a
private funeral service in north-end Montreal.
Montreal police yesterday thanked the public for
the flood of tips that helped investigators quickly
zero in on the suspects."
Robinette also thanked the parents of the victim and
the suspects' parents for their co-operation.
Tommy Gagne, 19, appeared briefly in Quebec Court,
where he was charged with first-degree murder,
forcible confinement and armed robbery.
Gagne was arrested at his father's home in Chicoutimi
on Saturday after police added him to the list of
suspects sought in the crime.
Gagne now stands co-accused of the murder with
18-year-old Sebastien Simon, who was arrested in an
arcade at the Edmonton airport Saturday, ending a
Canada-wide manhunt.
Crown prosecutor Louis Bouthillier explained that
in general, first-degree murder charges are laid
when a killing is premeditated or when a victim
dies in the commission of another serious crime,
such as forcible confinement and armed robbery.
Simon was being held by the RCMP in Edmonton.
He was to appear before a judge in Alberta to be
arraigned before being escorted back to Montreal.
Simon will appear in court in Montreal tomorrow,
police said.
A preliminary hearing for Gagne and Simon has
tentatively been set for March 21.
Also taken into custody early yesterday was
27-year-old Sergio Moniz, who was arrested at a
Tupper St. rooming house.
He was later released, police said.
Moniz, who was wanted as a witness, has not
been charged in connection with Serre's death,
Robinette said.
Meanwhile, a bail hearing was postponed until
Feb. 10 for 18-year-old Joel Nantais, who was wanted
as a witness and turned himself in to police Friday.
Nantais, who was arraigned Saturday, faces counts
of conspiracy, armed robbery, forcible confinement
and being an accessory.
His lawyer, Charles Ashton, said the bail hearing
was delayed because no evidence had yet been
disclosed to the defence.
"Evidently, my client is saddened and saddened
for (Serre's) family also," Ashton said.
"He's very, very sorry this event happened,
naturally, and he's very, very understandably
shocked."
ahanes@thegazette.canwest.com
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2006

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