CANADA • Jérémy BASTIEN-PERRON, 4 ~ Montreal QC

Woman charged with 1st-degree murder of child
Montrealer accused of beating boyfriend's son
Last Updated: Friday, May 28, 2010


Four-year-old Jérémy Bastien died shortly after
paramedics arrived at the residence his father was
sharing with Stéphanie Meunier in December 2008.

A Montreal woman accused of beating her boyfriend's four-year-old son to death will stand trial on a charge of first-degree murder.

Stéphanie Meunier, 31, had initially been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the case dating back to December 2008.

Meunier wept as Judge Hélène Morin announced her decision Friday at the Montreal courthouse.

The defence had requested the charge be reduced to manslaughter.

During the preliminary hearing, Crown attorney Louis Bouthillier argued that the charge should be bumped up.

"While the murder was being committed, or … within the same time frame the accused harassed the victim in a criminal manner, that is that the victim was subjected to mistreatment by the accused," said Bouthillier

Jérémy Bastien died shortly after emergency officials arrived at the residence Meunier shared with the child's father in the city's Pointe-aux-Trembles district on Dec. 6, 2008.

Meunier, who had been caring for the boy, was arrested and has remained in custody since then.

A publication ban covers the evidence presented during the preliminary hearing.

The mother of four faces a life sentence with at least 25 years behind bars before she is eligible for parole.

Jérémy's biological mother, Julie Perron, applauded the judge's ruling.

She said her son, whom she hadn't seen in the four months before he died, was like "a ray of sunshine."

Perron said she could feel his presence in the courtroom on Friday.

Meunier will return to court in September to learn the date of her trial.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2010/05/28/mtl-stephanie-meunier-first-degree.html

. . .. . .

A young father involved in his son's death
January 4, 2011

While Stephanie Miller should be tried this year for the murder of her ex-husband's son, little Jérémy Bastien, the poor child's own father, Francis Bastien, also finds himself on the prisoner's dock. This, more than two years after the tragedy that killed the little boy of 4 years.

The charges against Francis Bastien four in total - were made under warrant just before Christmas at the Montreal courthouse. The 28 year old man, who testified at the preliminary hearing of Stephanie Miller last spring, is accused of the manslaughter of his son, whom he did not provide the things necessary to his existence between 1 and December 6, 2008. He is also accused of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily. These last three charges relate to the period between June 10, 2008 and November 30, 2008.

A publication ban prevents us from revealing the facts of the case. To summarize the case, just remember that Stephanie Miller, herself a mother of four children, had set up house with Frank Bastien, who had custody of his son in 2008. The family lived on Rue Armand-Bombardier, Rivière-des-Prairies. On December 6, 2008, while the father was absent, Ms. Miller called 911 because little Jeremy was not well. Paramedics arrived swiftly but were unable to resuscitate the child, who had marks on his body. The boy was pronounced dead in hospital.

Two weeks later, Ms. Miller had been formally accused of the unpremeditated murder of the child. The 31 year old woman tried unsuccessfully to get more freedom on bail.

Criminal Harassment

The preliminary investigation into Ms. Miller was held last spring. At the end of the year, at the suggestion of Crown prosecutor Louis Bouthillier, Judge Helene Morin has changed the charge of unpremeditated murder for premeditated murder because the crime had occurred in a context of harassment, according to Mr. Bouthillier.

Ms. Joëlle Roy, who represents Ms. Miller, tried again later to obtain the release of his client. Judge Martin Vauclair, Superior Court, did not accede to this request and the case is now before the Court of Appeal. Mr. Roy should know this week whether the Court of Appeals agrees to hear the merits.

In principle, the trial of Ms. Miller must take place next May. As regards the father, it is still too early to say when it will occur. The man has not yet formally appeared, based on information obtained from the Registry of the Montreal courthouse yesterday.

Use mandate in question is not very common. It is this path that was used against Guy Lafleur when the prosecution decided to charge him for making contradictory testimony at trial of his son Mark. Mr. Lafleur was not arrested, but he had to report to the police station, where he has served on the date of his court appearance.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/justice-et-faits-divers/201101/04/01-4356984-un-jeune-pere-implique-dans-la-mort-de-son-fils.php&ei=T9_RTfy6B4vdiAKAuqHHCg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEkQ7gEwBg&prev=/search%3Fq%3DFrancis%2BBastien%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26prmd%3Divnso

Jury warned Meunier murder-trial testimony will be tough
Woman charged in 4-year-old’s death
May 16, 2011


Stéphanie Meunier is charged with murder in the slaying of her boyfriend's
4-year-old son, Jérémie Bastien-Perron, in December 2008.

A jury of seven men and five women is to begin hearing evidence Tuesday in a murder trial that, they have been advised, will at times be very difficult to sit through.

Stephanie Meunier, 32, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend’s son, 4-year-old Jeremy Bastien-Perron. The boy died Dec. 6, 2008, inside the home in Rivière des Prairies where he lived with Meunier and his father.

Before the jury was selected on Monday, Superior Court Justice Johanne St. Gelais issued her caution to the pool of 284 potential jurors about the trial.

The judge said it is alleged the boy was “a victim of mistreatment” but did say how Jeremy was killed. She said the jury would be expected to remain “neutral, independent and impartial” during emotional testimony.

More than 160 people asked to be exempted from the trial. Most cited health or work-related conflicts. Many said they simply did not want to hear details of how the 4-year-old was killed.

“I can’t be impartial, not when it comes to a child,” said one woman.

One man cited the trial in St. Jérôme of cardiologist Guy Turcotte, accused of murdering his two young children.

“I can’t be impartial or objective,” the man said. “A trial involving a child would be too difficult.”

Another man said he recently went through a period of depression that cost him his job, and he wants to avoid stressful situations.

“I listened to what you said,” the man told St. Gelais. “I can’t even watch a film. I don’t see how I can follow such a trial.”

St. Gelais agreed to excuse those who said they would have difficulty with the emotional case. She advised most that they will be summoned again in June as potential jurors in a different trial that doesn’t involve the death of a child.

Other people who were excused because of the expected length of Meunier’s trial were placed on a list of potential jurors in a shorter trial this week, also at the Montreal courthouse.

After dealing with the people who sought exemptions, it took only an hour for St. Gelais to call 40 other people from the pool before Crown prosecutor Louis Bouthillier and defence lawyers Joelle Roy and Mathieu Poissant were able to agree on who could sit on the jury.

Sitting in the prisoner’s dock, Meunier began to cry as a clerk formally read the charge she faces into the court record. She has pleaded not guilty to the sole charge.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Jury+warned+Meunier+murder+trial+testimony+will+tough/4791987/story.html

Boy's killing preceded by months of abuse, Meunier murder trial told
May 17, 2011


Photo of Jeremy Bastien-Perron. Stephanie Meunier is accused of abusing the 4-year-old child to death in 2008. Jeremy was her boyfriend's son.

Jeremy Bastien-Perron was not the victim of an isolated assault where the person who killed him wishes dearly they could take back five seconds of their life, a jury at the Montreal courthouse was told Monday morning.

In his opening remarks to the jury hearing the first-degree murder trial of Stéphanie Meunier, 32, prosecutor Louis Bouthillier said 4-year-old Jeremy died, on Dec. 6, 2008, as the result of a blow to the head. But the boy had suffered abuse long before the day ambulance technicians were called to Meunier’s apartment in Rivière des Prairies. The boy was pronounced dead at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital shortly after 6 p.m. that day.

Meunier was living with the boy’s father at the time but was not Jeremy’s mother.

Jeremy Bastien-Perron was not the victim of an isolated assault where the person who killed him wishes dearly they could take back five seconds of their life, a jury at the Montreal courthouse was told Monday morning.

In his opening remarks to the jury hearing the first-degree murder trial of Stéphanie Meunier, 32, prosecutor Louis Bouthillier said 4-year-old Jeremy died, on Dec. 6, 2008, as the result of a blow to the head. But the boy had suffered abuse long before the day ambulance technicians were called to Meunier’s apartment in Rivière des Prairies. The boy was pronounced dead at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital shortly after 6 p.m. that day.

Meunier was living with the boy’s father at the time but was not Jeremy’s mother.

Stephanie Meunier's 911 call by Montreal Gazette

Jeremy "was a child who was beaten for days and for weeks,” Bouthillier said, adding that the boy’s father, Francis Bastien, 29, also beat the boy. Bastien and his son moved into Meunier’s apartment on Nov. 1, 2008.

However, Bouthillier said, Bastien left the apartment on Nov. 30 to take part in a two-week medical experiment in another part of Montreal and was not present on the day the fatal blow was delivered. Jeremy was under Meunier’s “exclusive care” on the day he was killed, Bouthillier said before explaining why the woman is charged with first-degree murder. The prosecutor said the case involves an element of “criminal harassment” that took place days before Jeremy was killed. He also said the Crown intends to prove this harassment provides the criminal intent necessary for Meunier to be convicted of premeditated murder.

About 30 witnesses are expected to be called to testify during a trial estimated to last five to six weeks. Bouthillier said this will include testimony from Bastien.

“He will explain his role in this affair,” Bouthillier said, noting that Bastien will be among “the most important witnesses” called to testify in the case.

A pathologist is expected to say that Jeremy’s fatal injury was suffered within the final 24 hours of his life. The jury will also hear a 911 call Meunier made to report the boy was injured. The ambulance technicians who tried to revive Jeremy will also be called as witnesses to describe what they saw and heard after they arrived.

Neighbours in the apartment building, on Armand Bombardier St., where Meunier and Bastien lived are to testify about what they heard before the 911 call was made.

Expert witnesses are expected to link Jeremy’s DNA to items seized by the police after the apartment was declared a crime scene.

An expert on teeth is to testify that bite marks found on Jeremy’s body can be matched to Meunier’s teeth.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/killing+preceded+abuse+trial+told/4797222/story.html

Abuse hurt boy, ambulance technician tells Meunier murder trial
Beating went on days and weeks, Crown says
May 18, 2011



Experience told Normand Aubin that nothing he saw corresponded with what he was being told.

The ambulance technician was testifying Tuesday on the first day of the murder trial of 32-year-old Stéphanie Meunier, accused of killing 4-year-old Jeremy Bastien-Perron.

Aubin, with 25 years experience, said he realized immediately the child he was trying to resuscitate had not simply fallen down.

Aubin and his partner were called to Meunier's apartment in Rivière des Prairies on Dec. 6, 2008, minutes after receiving a dispatch reporting a child had fallen from a high place.

Meunier, who was looking after Jeremy along with four of her own children, had placed the 911 call, saying the boy had fallen in a park and was badly injured.

Stephanie Meunier's 911 call by Montreal Gazette

Aubin said when he entered Meunier's apartment, Jeremy was lying on his back on the floor of the hallway.

He was unconscious and breathing slowly. Meunier was hysterical and paced the hallway. She told Aubin that Jeremy had fallen in the hallway and that, a week earlier, he had fallen in a park.

Aubin said he tore off the boy's pyjamas as part of a procedure to examine and attempt to resuscitate him.

It was then, he said, he realized the boy had been badly abused.

"When we opened the pyjamas the marks were everywhere. Bruises were on his chest and on his genitals," Aubin said.

"When I saw those bruises - and we were told he fell in the park - it didn't go together."

Two other witnesses testifying at the Montreal courthouse said Jeremy's genitals were blue.

Aubin called the police immediately. Jeremy went into cardiac arrest on the way to Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival.

In his opening remarks to the jury Tuesday, prosecutor Louis Bouthillier told the jury the Crown intends to prove that while Jeremy died of a severe blow to the head, probably delivered shortly before he died, he was also a victim of abuse beforehand.

Jeremy "was a child who was beaten for days and for weeks," Bouthillier said, adding that the boy's father, Francis Bastien, 29, also beat the boy. Bastien and his son had moved into Meunier's apartment on Nov. 1, 2008.

Bouthillier said Bastien left the apartment on Nov. 30 to take part in a two-week medical experiment and was not present the day the fatal blow was delivered.

Jeremy was under Meunier's "exclusive care" on the day he was killed, Bouthillier said, adding the case involves an element of "criminal harassment" that occurred over weeks.

He said the harassment provides the criminal intent necessary for Meunier to be convicted of premeditated murder.

About 30 witnesses are to be called to testify during the trial, which is expected to last five to six weeks.

Among them will be Bastien, Bouthillier said. "He will explain his role in this affair."

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/abused+ambulance+technician+tells+murder+trial/4800728/story.html

Facebook group: Pour que ca bouge (Jeremy Bastien-Perron)

Little Jérémy's Horrifying End
May 18, 2011

Little Jérémy Bastien injuries "suggested bites" and "his chances of survival were minimal, an emergency doctor testified Wednesday morning in the trial of Stephanie Miller, accused of the premeditated murder of this child of four years.

Warning: some details are graphic


The emergency physician who treated the little Jeremy upon his arrival at the hospital is categorical.

"It was clear that it was a violent death, said Dr. Karen Oulianine. From my experience I have never seen someone with as many bruises. The injuries were "yellow, pale green to dark blue, the whole gamut," she revealed. The victim's injuries "suggest bites," others were "geometric in shape, it is clear that there were impacts from objects."

The medical team attempted to resuscitate Jérémy including injecting him with adrenaline by intubation and cardiac massage, in vain. The child's death occurred at 19 h 07, about 20 minutes after his arrival at the hospital.

Sickening Wounds

A City of Montreal Police Sergeant (CMPS), Jean-Francois Leblond, took over and examined the body of the child. He says that "an odour eminated in the room" and that "some nurses felt sickened."

In a calm tone, Sergeant Leblond listed the injuries. "There was missing skin on the face, you could see the flesh," he said. The middle abdominal had a banding mark (...), like a band with round object at the end, a gaping wound healed badly. He continued by giving details difficult to bear, among other things on the status of the child's genitals.

He then described the thighs of "all colors except skin (colour)", on his arms he found a "huge gaping wound". More on his back too, and a dozen marks in rectangular shape.

During this testimony, the accused 32-year-old kept her head bowed, face drawn and wiped tears a few times.

Cries one month before the tragedy

A couple who live just above the apartment of Stephanie Miller and the victim's father, Francis Bastien, testified that they heard "screams" and slamming doors repeatedly one month before the tragedy.

It happened "every day" since the Meunier-Bastien couple moved in , said Chantal Mercier. The evening of the tragedy, she heard a child crying and a lady "who was yelling at him." However, she admitted to Ms. Mathieu Poissant in cross examination that she never felt it "quite disturbing enough" to call the police. "By frequently hearing this noise, we stopped paying it any attention," she said, attempting to justify herself.

Her then partner, Errol John, had also heard "the cries of a child and an adult woman overlapping" that fateful night in December 2008. But "in (his) head, he was a hyperactive child. I didn't try to judge." He then heard the sound of a door "so loud that it almost shook the apartment."

It was not until the next day while watching TV that they learned of the death of young Jérémy Bastien. They voluntarily went to sign a statement at the police station.

The Crown, represented by Louis Bouthillier, will continue to present its witnesses this afternoon before a jury of five women and seven men. Justice Johanne St-Gelais presiding at the trial.

(Google translate from: http://www.ruefrontenac.com/nouvelles-generales/justice/37611-jeremy-bastien-proces-meunier )

Little Jérémy's murder: Father has big gaps in memory
May 18, 2011

Jérémy Bastien's father had once given his son a "slap on the cheek, without leaving marks" because he did not pick up his toys. " He also spanked twice, leaving "a bit (of) red, but it faded away."

Both Jérémy Bastien's parents testified this afternoon in the trial of Stephanie Miller, 32, accused of the premeditated murder of the young child of four years. Far from the graphic descriptions of the wounds on the body of the victim, the focus was on the family context in which it all evolved.

Major blackouts

Jeremy's father, Francis Bastien, gave confusing testimony and appeared to have significant memory lapses, repeatedly saying "I do not know" or "I do not remember."

If he remembers attending the birth of his son and having taken over his custody at two and a half years, Francis Bastien was often hesitant when questioned by Crown M Louis Bouthillier.

Asked about the name of Jeremy's first babysitter, the 29 year old man said he did not remember, and after some reflection added that she only looked after him "a few months." Francis Bastien also did not remember who babysat Jeremy during the few months he worked at the Centre du Plancher.

He also served one term at a hydraulic parts manufacturer in Lachine, but couldn't remember the name of the company.

Three months before the tragedy, Francis Bastien worked for a ventilation cleaning company. He was looking for a babysitter at the time, and a colleague - he has also forgotten the name - had referred him to his mother. Until 1 November 2008, it was "fairly common" that little Jérémy slept at this babysitter's house on weeknights. After that date, Stephanie Miller took over the babysitting duties.

The accused "loved children"

Francis Bastien met the accused through a telephone dating service. He hesitated about twenty seconds before saying it was in May 2008. Stephanie Miller told him she "loved children", in addition to having four.

Their first date was at Francis Bastien's place. Stephanie Miller was living with her ex-husband at the time. The new couple saw each weekends and went camping seven days during the summer.

They finally decided to move in together on 1 November 2008 in an apartment on Armand-Bombardier street, in Rivière-des-Prairies with five children. Thirty-six days later, young Jeremy died from a haemorrhage caused by a blow to the head.

Jeremy's mother has never seen injuries

The victim's mother, Julie Perron, gave birth to her son when she was 17 and lived with her parents. She had dated Francis Bastien for 3 months. She maintained custody of the child for two and a half years, until on "the brink of depression," she decided to entrust the toddler to his father, "for Jeremy's wellbeing." Throughout this time, Francis Bastien visited his son regularly every two weeks.

Afterwards, Julie Perron was "less diligent" with little Jeremy. In 2008, saying she had visited monthly for four months. During this period, she didn't notice anything alarming on the child's body.

She saw Jeremy for the last time in August 2008. Later she said she tried unsuccessfully to visit her son. She said she left about fifteen messages on Francis Bastien's answering machine but her calls were never returned, except once when he refused to entrust the child to her.

On 25 October she went to see Jeremy's father, but Stephanie Miller told her "in a rude tone" that neither Francis nor Jeremy were there, before she shut the door in her face. Julie Perron said at the time she was considering regaining custody of her son, but hesitated "for the welfare of her child."

The testimony of Francis Bastien will continue tomorrow morning, followed by cross examination by the defense, represented by Roy and Joëlle Mathieu Poissant. Stephanie Miller is accused of premeditated murder Jérémy Bastien, four years. Her jury trial is expected to last five to six weeks.

(Google translate: http://www.ruefrontenac.com/nouvelles-generales/justice/37625-jeremy-bastien-meunier-proces-enfant-meurtre )

Father bought crack with support-group money, Meunier murder trial told
May 26, 2011


Francis Bastien (in grey jacket) at the Palais de Justice in Montreal. He admitted Wednesday at the murder trial of Stéphanie Meunier that he had physically abused his son, Jérémy Bastien-Perron, 4. The boy died in 2008.

After the death of his son, Francis Bastien used money he received from a victim-support group to buy crack cocaine, the man told a jury Wednesday.

Bastien made the admission at the trial of Stéphanie Meunier, who is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 4-year-old Jérémy Bastien-Perron.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Joëlle Roy, Bastien did not paint a flattering portrait of himself. Bastien, 29, was living with Meunier when Jérémy died on Dec. 6, 2008.

The father had left home on Nov. 30 to take part in a two-week medical experiment.

Bastien testified that after Jérémy’s death he received more than $5,000 from an organization funded by the provincial government that supports the victims of crime. To get the money, he signed a statement declaring he did not take part in the crime.

Bastien was later charged in his son’s death, and a preliminary inquiry is set for 2012 – something the jury was informed of for the first time on Wednesday.

“Did you return the money,” Roy asked.

“No,” Bastien replied.

“Wasn’t it pertinent? Didn’t it seem bizarre that you received it?”

“No.”

Bastien said he spent about $1,000 on his son’s funeral and another amount for the burial.

“And I was influenced by a work colleague to consume,” Bastien said.

“To consume what?” Roy asked.

“Crack.”

“How much?”

“A large quantity.”

Bastien also admitted to using cocaine and ecstasy after his son was born. He denied using drugs during the brief period in 2008 when he and Jérémy were living with Meunier and her four children in the Riviere des Prairies apartment where Jérémy was found unconscious on Dec. 6, 2008. The boy was declared dead when he arrived at Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital.

During his testimony, Bastien slurred his words and asked lawyers to repeat the simplest of questions. When prosecutor Louis Bouthillier asked him what charges he faces in connection with Jérémy’s death, Bastien replied: “Assault and three other things.”

Under cross-examination, Roy showed Bastien the arrest warrant issued on Dec. 21, 2010, and carefully went over each charge. He is accused of manslaughter through criminal negligence, causing bodily harm by criminal negligence, and two counts of assault.

Bastien revealed he attempted suicide twice after his son’s death. After his second attempt, in February 2010, Bastien told Montreal police he wanted to “add things” to a sworn statement he gave on Dec. 12, 2008.

In his updated statement, Bastien admitted he beat Jérémy on the buttocks with a leather belt and a wooden spoon at different points of the same day in November 2008.

In his earlier statement, Bastien claimed to have spanked his son only with his hand.

Ambulance technicians and police called to the apartment on Dec. 6, 2008, have testified the boy had bruises and marks all over his body, in particular on his chest and genitals.

In his opening statement to the jury last week, Bouthillier said the Crown intends to prove that while Bastien beat Jérémy, Meunier also beat the boy and delivered the fatal blow to the head.

The cross-examination resumes on Thursday.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/montreal/Father+bought+crack+with+support+group+money+Meunier+murder+trial+told/4838555/story.html

Slain boy forced to stand outside in dress
May 26, 2011


Francis Bastien (in grey jacket) at the Palais de Justice in Montreal.
Photograph by: Bryanna Bradley, Gazette files

The father of Jérémy Bastien-Perron, a 4-year-old boy killed in 2008, testified Thursday that in the weeks before his son died, he had concerns the boy was too effeminate.

The admission came as Francis Bastien continued to be cross-examined in the first-degree murder trial of his former girlfriend, 32-year-old Stéphanie Meunier.

She is alleged, by the Crown, to have struck the boy fatally sometime before Jérémy died on Dec. 6, 2008. Bastien is charged, in a separate case, with manslaughter through criminal negligence and with assaulting his son.

On Thursday, defence lawyer Joëlle Roy asked Bastien a long series of questions suggesting he was quick-tempered and had concerns that his son acted too much like a girl.

“The fact your son was effeminate, it caused you problems?” Roy asked Bastien Thursday morning.

“Yes,” the witness replied.

“For you that wasn’t normal?”

“It depends.”

Roy then asked Bastien to explain a reference he made, while testifying at the preliminary inquiry, to being concerned his son was “a limp wrist.”

“Are we talking about homosexuality?” Roy asked.

“No,” Bastien replied.

Roy also asked Bastien about an incident where Jérémy was clothed in a girl’s dress and left outside to play with other children. This was during the brief period between May 2008, when Bastien and Meunier first met, and Jérémy’s death months later.

“To put him outside in a dress, this was a form of punishment?” Roy asked.

“To show him how to be a boy,” Bastien said.

Earlier in the day, Roy asked Bastien several questions about an incident that occurred shortly after he had moved into an apartment in Rivière des Prairies with Meunier and her four children. Jérémy was found unconscious inside the apartment on Dec. 6, 2008, and was pronounced dead after being taken to Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. Bastien had left the apartment on Nov. 30, 2008, to take part in a two-week medical experiment.

Bastien said he punched a cardboard box that one of Meunier’s daughters was standing near because he was frustrated with the girl.

“You wanted to scare her?” Roy asked.

“Yes,” Bastien answered.

“Why?”

“So she would listen to me.”

“That’s your method then, you punch a box?”

“That’s what I did,” Bastien said, adding later that he didn’t think Meunier’s daughter was scared by what he did. He testified he had chased the girl around a table before knocking a hole in the box.

“When you were pursuing her around the table, were you going to hit her?” Roy asked.

“I don’t think so,” Bastien said.

The cross-examination is to continue Thursday afternoon.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Slain+forced+stand+outside+dress/4844140/story.html

Dead boy had too many injuries to fit on one drawing, pathologist says
Blow to his head was cause of death
May 27, 2011

It would have been impossible to record on one diagram every injury 4-year-old Jérémy Bastien-Perron suffered before he died, a pathologist told the murder trial of Stéphanie Meunier, who looked after the boy in his final days.

Caroline Tanguay made the remark to explain why the 12-page report filed as evidence contains a few standard black and white diagrams of a child's body.

"Recording all of the injuries on one would have made (a sole diagram) unreadable," Tanguay said in response to prosecutor Louis Bouthillier.

She said the boy's body was covered with injuries "from head to toe, front and back" and "it was clear the injuries weren't caused by a fall."

The pathologist's testimony, which resumes Friday, appears to be key to the Crown's case. In his opening statement to the jury last week, Bouthillier alleged Meunier and Francis Bastien, 29, the boy's father, beat Jérémy in the days before he died on Dec. 6, 2008.

The jury has already heard that on Nov. 30, 2008, Bastien left the apartment in Rivière des Prairies where he lived with Jérémy, Meunier and her four children to take part in a two-week medical experiment. Bastien faces four charges, including manslaughter through criminal negligence.

Tanguay examined Jérémy's body two days after his death. She testified that many of the injuries were inflicted 24 hours before he died, including a fatal blow to his head, which caused his brain to bleed.

She added that the boy's brain was sent to a specialist in Ottawa, who also concluded Jérémy suffered the injury within the final 24 hours of his life.

The pathologist said the left side of Jérémy's head was so swollen his left ear was not visible. His stomach was bloated, an indication his intestines had suffered trauma. She also found a wound above the magic stick, caused by a cut or a tear to the skin. His magic stick was blue and bloated and there were contusions on his testicles. The injuries to his genitals were likely inflicted between one and three days before his death, Tanguay said.

Tanguay's testimony followed the cross-examination of Bastien by defence lawyer Joëlle Roy, whose questions suggested he was quick-tempered and concerned his son acted too much like a girl.

"The fact that your son was effeminate, it caused you problems?" Roy asked.

"Yes," Bastien replied.

"For you that wasn't normal?"

"It depends."

Roy asked Bastien to explain a reference he made, at his preliminary inquiry, to being concerned his son was "a limp wrist." He was vague about why he used that term.

"Are we talking about homosexuality?" Roy asked.

"No," Bastien replied.

Roy asked about an incident where he and Meunier put Jérémy in a dress and left him outside to play with other children.

"To put him outside in a dress, this was a form of punishment?" Roy asked.

"To show him how to be a boy," Bastien said.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Dead+many+injuries+drawing+pathologist+says/4846637/story.html

Child talked of being hit by accused, babysitter tells Stéphanie Meunier jury
May 31, 2011


Emilia Marquez, a former babysitter of Jeremy Bastien-Perron,
waits to testify in the trial of Stéphanie Meunier at the Montreal courthouse.
Photograph by: John Kenney, The Gazette

Stéphanie Meunier was confronted about how she allegedly abused Jérémy Bastien several weeks before the 4-year-old boy died while under her care, the jury hearing her case was told Monday.

Meunier is charged with first-degree murder in Jérémy’s death. The boy died on Dec. 6, 2008 while he and his father, Francis Bastien, were living with Meunier and her four children in Rivière des Prairies.

Before Bastien and his son moved in with Meunier, on Oct. 1, 2008, Jeremy had been under the care of Emilia Marquez, the mother of Raphael Bourotte, a colleague of Bastien’s at a company that cleaned ventilation systems.

On Monday, Bourotte testified that in March 2008 Bastien said he would be forced to quit his job because he couldn’t find anyone to look after his son. Bastien had sole custody of Jérémy after the boy turned 2 when his mother became depressed and felt she couldn’t care for him.

Bourotte said he suggested his mother look after Jérémy because she had also been looking after Bourotte’s daughter.

Bastien and Marquez came to an agreement: Jérémy would live with her weekdays and sleep at her house, for $80 a week. This was because Bastien often worked 70 hours a week, Bourotte testified.

Bourotte said months after his mother began looking after Jérémy he noticed a large bruise on the boy’s back while giving him a bath.

He said the bruise, about the size of a baseball, was located on the small of the boy’s back and part of it stuck out from his bathing suit.

Bourotte said he asked Jérémy what had happened but the boy was reluctant to answer. When Bourotte insisted, Jérémy said: “Stèphanie, bobo.”

Bourotte said he then asked Jérémy where Meunier had hit him and the boy pointed to various parts of his body.

He also testified Jérémy told him Stephanie had hit him with a stick.

Bourotte said he and his mother confronted Bastien and Meunier, in Marquez’s kitchen, when they came to pick up the boy one evening, and Meunier exited quickly by a back door without saying a word.

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Mathieu Poissant pointed out inconsistencies in Bourotte’s testimony. In a previous sworn statement, he noted, Bourotte recalled Meunier had said “it’s not true” after she was confronted.

Marquez, who has 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, testified after her son. She said Jérémy was skinny and shy when she began looking after him in her Montreal North apartment.

Speaking through a Spanish interpreter, Marquez said Jérémy didn’t say a word the first two weeks.

She said she was concerned he might be deaf because when she would call him to dinner he would sit and gesture by waving his hands. The icebreaker appeared to come after two weeks, when Jérémy opened his mouth and Marquez’s 4-year-old granddaughter looked inside.

“She said: ‘Hey, he does have a tongue,’ and Jérémy laughed very hard,” Marquez said.

Jérémy gradually opened up. By the time he left her care to live with Meunier, Marquez said, the boy had learned some Spanish.

Marquez resumes her testimony on Tuesday.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/montreal/spoke+being+accused+babysitter+testifies/4864391/story.html

Daughter never saw mom hit Jérémy, Meunier murder trial told
Jurors watch statements videotaped three days after boy's death


Stéphanie Meunier is charged with murder in the slaying of a 4-year-old boy in 2008


Jurors in the first-degree murder case of Stephanie Meunier, on trial in the killing of a 4-year-old boy under her care, were given a strikingly different portrait of the accused Thursday.

Prosecutor Louis Bouthillier presented videotaped statements Meunier's two daughters gave to a Montreal police investigator on Dec. 9, 2008 - three days after Jérémy Bastien-Perron was found unconscious in an apartment in Rivière des Prairies.

Jérémy was declared dead after being taken to a hospital. The boy and his father, Francis Bastien, had moved in with Meunier and her four children on Oct. 1, 2008.

Meunier's 10-year-old daughter gave the first statement to police. During an hour-long interview, she told detective Laurie-Anne Lefebvre that Jérémy seemed not to like her mother, but she never saw her hit him.

"He wanted to be with his father," the girl said of Jérémy.

At the time of his son's death, Bastien had been away for about a week to take part in a medical experiment.

Bastien, who has admitted to having beaten his son, is charged with manslaughter through criminal negligence in his death and faces a separate trial.

The girl said Jérémy often threw tantrums, which prompted Meunier to call Bastien if he wasn't home.

She said Jérémy avoided talking to her mother directly and asked her to pass on messages like "I'm thirsty."

When asked how she was punished when she misbehaved, the girl said her mother would send her to her bedroom.

"She would say 'You're going to be in there for a long time.' But then she'd let me out two minutes later," she said. "My mother doesn't hit me. To hit us, that is a bad thing to my mother."

The girl's 7-year-old sister told Lefebvre the same thing.

Both girls said Jérémy fell in a park the day before he fell unconscious. The 10-year-old said her mother checked his back but didn't notice anything unusual.

The following day, the girl said, injuries were visible on his back.

The girls had similar recollections of what happened in the minutes before Jérémy fell unconscious in the apartment.

They said he was happy and helping make cupcakes. His hands became covered with chocolate icing, and Meunier asked him to wash his hands.

"He went to wash his hands and then we heard a big boom," the 10-year-old said, a statement echoed by her younger sister later.

The 10-year-old said she didn't see Jérémy fall to the floor but assumed he did.

Moments later, she said, her mother was trying to revive the boy by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

The 7-year-old told Lefebvre that, before making cupcakes, Jérémy spent most of the day in the bedroom he shared with both girls. She said he appeared to want to sleep most of the day.

The prosecution contends Bastien and Meunier beat Jérémy in the days and even weeks before he died, and that Meunier delivered the fatal blow.

A pathologist has testified that the boy had suffered many injuries to various parts of his body on different days before he died.

An upstairs neighbour testified earlier in the trial that she would hear what sounded like a woman and child arguing on daily basis. She said the arguments sounded more intense the day Jérémy died.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Daughter+never+J%C3%A9r%C3%A9my+trial+told/4883264/story.html

Boy was injured 2 hours before death, MD tells Stéphanie Meunier murder trial
June 3, 2011



Jérémy Bastien-Perron’s death was caused by a severe head injury suffered about two hours before the 4-year-old boy died, a jury was told Friday.

Jean Michaud, an Ottawa-based neuropathologist who examined the boy’s brain after Jeremy died on Dec. 6, 2008, told the jury hearing the first-degree murder trial of Stephanie Meunier, 32, that he found signs the victim suffered a head injury shortly before he was declared dead upon arrival at the Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital. Ambulance technicians found the boy unconscious on the floor of Meunier’s apartment and were unable to resuscitate him as they transported Jérémy to the hospital. During her 911 call, Meunier said she believed Jérémy was unconscious because he had fallen in a nearby park on a previous day. The boy and his father, Francis Bastien, 29, moved into the apartment in Rivière des Prairies with Meunier and her four children on Oct. 1, 2008.

On Thursday, the jury was shown videotaped statements Meunier’s two daughters, ages 7 and 10, gave to police three days after Jérémy died. Both said the boy was happy as he made cupcakes with Meunier and them moments before he fell unconscious. They both said they heard a “big boom” after Meunier asked Jeremy to wash up in the bathroom when she noticed his hands were covered in chocolate icing. Prosecutor Louis Bouthillier asked Michaud if a child could have possibly decorated cupcakes and washed his hands after having suffered such a severe injury to his brain the day before.

“It is essentially impossible,” Michaud replied.

Michaud had been informed by pathologist Caroline Tanguay, before he examined the boy’s brain, that Jérémy suffered a severe impact on the left side of his head. It had caused that side of the boy’s head to swell so much his left ear was not visible to Tanguay when she examined his body. She also testified she found wounds on Jeremy’s body indicating he had been beaten on different days within a week of his death, a period of time when Bastien was away from home.

It was probably a sudden and quick motion on the left side of Jeremy’s head that caused the brain to move and touch bone on the right side of his skull, Michaud said. Normally, movement is absorbed by fluid in the meninges of the brain. The sudden movement tore blood vessels and caused Jeremy’s death by subdural hemorrhage, or bleeding, Michaud testified. He also said Jeremy’s brain showed no signs of a natural, protective reaction that occurs 12 hours after a child suffers such an injury and survives.

“Was it something that came in contact with his head, or was it his head that came in contact with something? I can’t say which,” Michaud said when asked what could have caused such an injury.

Bouthillier then asked Michaud if a fall from the ladder of a plaything in a park, from above three feet, could explain it.

“No. That is what we call a domestic fall,” Michaud said while adding that, in his opinion such a fall rarely causes such trauma. “If this happened daily, our emergency rooms would be full.”

Michaud said his examination also found signs Jeremy had suffered a less serious injury inside his brain between seven and 12 days before he died. He testified he could find nothing to indicate the older injury was linked to the fatal one.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/injured+hours+before+death+tells+St%C3%A9phanie+Meunier+murder+trial/4889145/story.html

Stephanie Meunier guilty of first-degree murder

Global Montreal: Thursday, June 23, 2011

Stephanie Meunier, the 32-year-old woman charged with killing her boyfriend's four-year-old son, was found guilty of first-degree murder on Thursday.

Her victim, Jeremy Bastien-Perron, died in Rivieres-des-Prairies on Dec. 6, 2008.

A pathologist who performed an autopsy on the boy concluded Jeremy died from a severe blow to the head.

The medical examiner also said the boy suffered several injuries on different days before his death.

His body was found covered in bruises and bite marks.

He had been in the care of Meunier at the time of his death.

The woman had been dating the boy's father since May 2008. The couple moved in together on Oct. 1 that same year.

During the trial, Meunier testified she had done nothing wrong.

She blamed her own five-year-old son for Jeremy's injuries, and said she never noticed the bruises on Jeremy's body.

“He dressed himself and washed himself,” she said. “I rarely saw him without his shirt off.”

On Wednesday, the day before the jury found Meunier guilty of murder in the first-degree, they asked the judge to clarify the meaning of second-degree murder.

They asked at least one more technical question in the hours before announcing their decision.

The seven-man, five-woman panel had four possible verdicts: first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, or an acquittal.

Meunier is sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole for 25 years.

http://www.globalmontreal.com/Breaking+News+Stephanie+Meunier+guilty+first+degree+murder/4994961/story.html