Guy Turcotte charged again with 1st-degree murder
Ex-wife Isabelle Gaston says 'terrible errors' made at 1st trial into death of their 2 children
Guy Turcotte appeared in a Saint-Jérôme, Que., court today to be arraigned for a second time on first-degree murder charges in the deaths of his two children.
The provincial Court of Appeal ordered a new trial for Turcotte after overturning the verdict from his first trial that found him not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder in the stabbing deaths of his two young children.
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Turcotte was arraigned shortly after noon and did not enter a plea.
He is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 10, 2014, to set a date for his new trial.
Turcotte's lawyer has not made a request for bail.
The Quebec cardiologist turned himself in to police Wednesday evening after the court ordered that he stand trial again.
In 2011, Turcotte was found not criminally responsible after he admitted to the February 2009 fatal stabbing of Anne-Sophie, 3, and Olivier, 5.
Isabelle Gaston — Turcotte's ex-wife and mother of their children — said she welcomed news of a new trial.
Gaston spoke with CBC Daybreak host Mike Finnerty on Thursday morning before she left for the courthouse.
As a victim I had to scream that there was an injustice.- Isabelle Gaston, ex-wife of Guy Turcotte
“I think symbolically, I represent Olivier and Anne-Sophie, and so I want to hear what is going to happen in this courtroom,” she said.
Gaston welcomed the Crown's decision to appeal after the not criminally responsible verdict, and has remained vocal about the need for justice.
When her ex-husband was released with conditions after 46 months at Montreal's Pinel Psychiatric Institute, Gaston spoke out, saying she was worried he would come after her.
Now Gaston says her job is almost done.
"As a victim I had to scream that there was an injustice. I thought that there were terrible errors that happened in [that] courtroom," she said.
"I think that is the key of success for all victims — to let it out and never tell yourself that it’s not worth seeking justice."
Gaston told Daybreak that while she is nervous about facing Turcotte in court, she has grown stronger in the past few years.
"I decided that my healing process was not dependent on him being in prison," she said.