By Canadian Press

Suspect accused of killing 13-year-old Quebec girl appears in court

Mar 4, 2020 | 1:01 PM

ST-JEROME, Que. — The suspect charged with first-degree murder in the violent death of a 13-year-old Quebec girl appeared in court briefly Wednesday, his feet and hands shackled.

Francois Senecal, 51, charged in connection with the death of Oceane Boyer, never looked toward the audience in the courtroom, which included the family of the young victim he had known since she was born.

Boyer’s body was found by the side of a road in Quebec’s Laurentians region last Wednesday. Police said the 13-year-old’s body showed signs of violence.

The criminal procedures against Senecal are in their preliminary stages. Evidence against him has not yet been fully delivered to his defence lawyer, Simon Brisson-Dolci.

The hearing lasted a few minutes, after which Judge Carol Richer of Quebec court said proceedings would resume March 20.

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Richer granted a request by prosecutor Steve Baribeau, who asked her to release the warrants police obtained to investigate the case.

Baribeau told reporters after the brief court hearing that the warrants had been sealed and no one had access to them. “The judge ordered the warrants to be opened so that the defence can get access to the motives that allowed police to execute the warrants,” he said.

He didn’t want to discuss the nature of the warrants, however. The judge also issued a publication ban on their contents.

Baribeau told reporters it was too early to know whether other charges will be laid against the accused.

Senecal was arrested last Thursday, a day after the teen’s body was found in Brownsburg-Chatham, about 70 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2020.

Stephanie Marin, The Canadian Press