Man found guilty of 1st-degree murder in violent 2022 killing of wife in LaSalle
Hosea Amorus Puhya had been detained for domestic violence charges but was later released
A jury found 51-year-old Hosea Amorus Puhya guilty of the first-degree murder of his wife Thursday afternoon in Montreal court.
Gisele Betondi was stabbed 14 times in front of her three young children near her home in the southwestern Montreal borough of LaSalle in September 2022.
Betondi had filed several complaints to police about Amorus Puhya, from whom she had been trying to separate.
The man had been arrested and detained but was eventually released under several conditions, including not approaching Betondi.
During Amorus Puhya's trial, the jury heard that he had hid in a wooded area near his children's daycare for hours, apparently waiting for Betondi.
He attacked her from behind, wearing a black head covering, as she was exiting her car. Betondi's friend and neighbour also witnessed the attack.
Written by Verity Stevenson with reporting by Radio-Canada's Valérie-Micaela Bain