An 81-year-old man admitted in court on Wednesday that he killed his 79-year-old wife last year inside a retirement home in Terrebonne.
Gilles Brassard pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder in the death of Thérèse Brassard-Lévesque.
During a hearing at the Laval courthouse, prosecutor Geneviève Aumond told Superior Court Justice Hélène Di Salvo that Brassard tried to strangle his wife with a cord four times, while she lay in her bed at the retirement room on Sept. 30, 2023, before he put an end to her life on the fifth try. Aumond said Brassard-Lévesque suffered from Alzheimer’s and resisted her husband’s attempts to kill her.
Before he made the third attempt, the prosecutor said, Brassard told his wife: “Close your little eyes and sleep.”
The prosecutor also said Brassard tried to take his own life at the retirement home by swallowing large amounts of medication. He was taken to a hospital and eventually recovered. He was out on bail when he entered his plea on Wednesday.
When he was arrested last year, Brassard was charged with first-degree murder, but he recently agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder.
Brassard initially hesitated when Di Salvo informed him that he would have to serve a minimum of 10 years behind bars before he will become eligible for parole on the automatic life sentence that comes with a conviction for second-degree murder.
The judge asked Brassard if he was aware of the minimum amount of time he will be required to serve.
“Not really,” Brassard said sounding confused. “Is there not a possibility that it could be less than 10 years? Under no circumstance can it be less than 10 years?”
“No, that is what is called for by law,” the judge said.
“That is a super shock,” Brassard said. “I’m not an assassin. I’m not a bad guy.”
Brassard’s lawyer Elfride Duclervil asked for a recess to explain again what her client should expect as a sentence. When the hearing resumed, Brassard confirmed to the court that he understood what is at stake.
Di Salvo is expected to hear from both lawyers on a possible sentence later on Wednesday.
This article will be updated.