Skip to content

Father accused of killing sons appears briefly in Quebec City court

QUEBEC — A man accused of killing his two children last fall made a brief court appearance Tuesday in Quebec City. 

Michael Chicoine, 30, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder.

Chicoine is accused of killing his sons Olivier, 5, and Alex, 2, during the night of Oct. 10 to Oct. 11 at a home in Wendake, a Huron-Wendat First Nation territory near Quebec City.

He turned himself in to Quebec City police the same night.

Chicoine appeared via video from the Quebec City detention centre as Crown prosecutor Thomas Jacques said he has provided the bulk of the evidence to defence lawyer Pierre Gagnon.

Jacques says there is still some evidence that needs to be divulged, and he expects that to be done when the case returns to court on March 30.

The deaths of the two children shocked the province and sparked a renewed call to reform the province's child protection system.

The mother of the two boys, Emilie Arsenault, told a news conference she'd been trying to obtain sole custody of the children but concerns she raised weren't addressed by the system.

An external investigation into the deaths of two Quebec boys released in late December called for an in-depth reform of the province’s youth protection system and the law that governs it.

Lionel Carmant, the province's junior health minister responsible for youth protection, has said he's committed to reforms.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 12, 2021.

The Canadian Press


Looking for Ontario News?

VillageReport.ca viewed on a mobile phone

Check out Village Report - the news that matters most to Canada, updated throughout the day.  Or, subscribe to Village Report's free daily newsletter: a compilation of the news you need to know, sent to your inbox at 6AM.

Subscribe