Jano Vincent, the man who was awaiting his sentence for murdering another motorist on Highway 50 by plowing his pickup truck into an oncoming vehicle, was found dead at a federal penitentiary in Ste-Anne-des-Plaines.
Vincent, 38, a resident of St-Polycarpe, died only one day after lawyers in his murder case made sentencing arguments before Superior Court Justice Mario Longpré at a courthouse in St-Jérôme. On July 11, a jury found Vincent guilty of second-degree murder. He automatically received a life sentence. On Wednesday, his lawyer, Robert Bellefeuille, argued his client should serve the 10-year minimum before he would be eligible for parole.
Prosecutor Steve Baribeau repeated the Crown’s theory taht Vincent was suicidal when his Ford F150 suddenly swerved into the oncoming lane of Highway 50 in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge and crashed into a Sunseeker camper being driven by 59-year-old Robert Campion on Oct. 6, 2019. Campion was killed on impact.
Vincent suffered injuries that left him in a coma. Firefighters needed more than two hours to remove him from the heavily damaged pickup truck.
“If you believe the accused deliberately drove his vehicle into Mr. Campion’s, then you can infer he foresaw the death of the other driver,” Baribeau told the jury back in July while making his closing arguments in the trial.
On Wednesday, Baribeau asked that Vincent serve at least 12 years behind bars before he could become eligible for parole.
On Friday, Bellefeuille confirmed to The Gazette that Vincent had died, but declined to make any further comment on the death. He said he communicated with Longpré and the judge has asked that a death certificate be presented in court on Oct. 17, the day when a decision was expected on the sentence.
In a release, Correctional Service Canada wrote: “On Sept. 19, 2024, Jano Vincent, an inmate from the Regional Reception Centre, died while in our custody.
“As in all cases involving the death of an inmate, Correctional Service Canada (CSC) will review the circumstances. CSC policy requires that the police and the coroner be notified.”