Arrest in brutal murder
By Kevin Lajoie
Front Page - Monday, September 13, 2004 @ 10:00
A 24-year-old Lefebvre Avenue man has been charged with first degree murder in
the brutal death of Joane Bazinet.
Pierre Leduc was arrested without incident at his Lefebvre Avenue home on
Saturday afternoon, police said.
The residence was just several doors south of Reggie’s Variety Store, where
Bazinet, a 36-year-old mother of two and employee of the family-owned business,
was found dead Thursday shortly before 11 a.m.
Leduc remained in custody for a bail hearing today.
The news was met with mixed reaction by one of Bazinet’s family members, who
said Leduc was a regular customer of the family’s store.“We’re still
greatly saddened,” said Gilles Dutrisac, Joane’s brother, on behalf of the
family. “It’s a huge burden off our shoulders to know someone’s been
arrested. It’s a huge sigh of relief, but it also comes with anger. We’ve
known the person (the accused) for a very long time.”
Police made news of the arrest official on Sunday during a press conference at
police headquarters on Pitt Street.
In order to maintain the integrity of the investigation, police would not
confirm any possible weapon used and would only say Bazinet suffered trauma to
the upper body.
A post-mortem is currently being performed.
Police wouldn’t say anything more on the amount of cash which had been stolen
in the murder.
A total of 15 officers were assigned to the case, and more than 100 calls on the
matter were received by police.
Cornwall police Chief Dan Parkinson compared the investigation to a puzzle —
putting it together, piece-by-piece, until one final piece is missing.
“It was a total team effort,” said Parkinson, adding the response from the
community was a key factor in the investigation.
The investigation is continuing, and police are still asking anyone with
information, no matter how trivial, to contact them.
Those with information can contact Const. Scott Hanton at 932-2110, ext. 2426,
or they can make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at 937-8477.
A trust fund for Joane Bazinet’s two children, 11-year-old Marc and
nine-year-old Sophie, has been established.
The Marc and Sophie Bazinet Trust Fund was set up by the family at the TD Canada
Trust Branch 137. The account number is 6268967.
Those wishing to make a donation can do so at any TD Canada Trust branch.