Ugo Fredette makes brief initial court appearance in Saint-Jérôme
With his face down, staring intently at the ground, Ugo Fredette made his first court appearance today in Saint-Jérôme, Que.
The 41-year-old man, accused of second-degree murder in the death of his partner Véronique Barbe, had been in hospital in Ottawa after a suicide attempt.
Fredette was transferred to a hospital in Saint-Eustache over the weekend and is now being held at the detention centre in Saint-Jérôme. He has special protection at the jail to stop him from hurting himself and protect him from other inmates, said his lawyer Pierre M. Gauthier.
Fredette arrived at the courthouse around 11 a.m., wearing a white T-shirt. He had small bruises on his right arm.
As part of the proceedings, Fredette was given a list of 11 people with whom he cannot communicate. They are people who are close to the victim or who could be witnesses in the case, said Jean-Pascal Boucher, spokesperson for the Quebec's Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions.
The proceedings lasted about two minutes. No new charges were laid.
Crown prosecutor Steve Baribeau said he and his team are still waiting for evidence from the Sûreté du Québec, and it is possible that new charges will be laid in the future.
Fredette's case will be back in court Oct. 31, when Baribeau said he hopes to be able to hand over the Crown's proof to the defence team.
Memorial for slain partner
About 200 friends and family gathered for Barbe's funeral in Saint-Eustache on Sunday. The mother of four was 41 when she was killed.
An Amber Alert was issued for a six-year-old boy shortly after Barbe's body was discovered in Saint-Eustache Sept. 14.
The alert ended when Fredette was arrested in Ontario. The child is in the care of Quebec youth protection services.
Fredette had been driving the Honda CR-V of Lachute resident Yvon Lacasse, 71, at the time of his arrest. Police allege he stole the vehicle.
Lacasse's body was found in Arundel, near Mont-Tremblant, Wednesday. No charges have been laid in his death.
