Mike on Crime

By Mike McIntyre
Winnipeg Free Press

The murders of Fernand, Rita and Rémi Labossière had been in the works for several weeks before the plot was finally carried out in late 2005, according to court documents obtained by the Free Press.

Three suspects — including the victim’s son and brother, Jéróme Labossière — are accused of hatching the triple-slaying plan on or about November 1. Yet it wasn’t until November 26 that the three victims were shot to death inside their St. Leon home, which was then set on fire in an apparent attempt to conceal evidence.

The allegations are contained in the formal charges which have now been laid against the accused and are before the courts.

What’s not clear is how police and the Crown have come to narrow down the specific dates and what evidence they may have gathered during an extensive investigation that culminated last week.

Jéróme Labossière, Jeremie Toupin and Michel Hince are charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of conspiracy to commit murder. They were arrested May 1 and remain in custody. The men are longtime friends whose families have grown up together.

Toupin’s parents are stunned by the allegations against their son, according to a close family friend.

“Roy and Lucy have been tremendously generous with their kids and provided them with anything a child could want. They are the typical small-town people, generous to a fault, community-minded and live a very simple life. These boys were certainly never abused and this is not a case of troubled kids coming from a troubled home,” the friend told the Free Press this week.

“I guess what makes this story so compelling to me is how ‘regular’ this family was and how extraordinary the circumstances have become around them. To say they are devastated and destroyed would be a gross understatement. They grew up in St. Leon and know all the people involved and are most probably friends with the same people the Labossières were. I can’t imagine having to face their relatives and friends every day while coming to grips with the fact their child could have participated in such a cold and callous act.”

Winnipeg police are continuing to investigate last month’s execution-style killings of Jo ´l and Maggy Labossière inside their city home. No arrests have been made and police have been silent on whether they believe the two cases are directly linked.

Jo ´l Labossière was the grandson to Fernand and Rita and a nephew to both Rémi and Jéróme. His wife was pregnant at the time of the killing and family murders believe their slaying was the trigger for the Mounties laying charges.

The RCMP has refused to discuss a possible motive for the triple murder, but court documents filed over the past two years in an ongoing civil case indicate it was about the family’s $1.3-million state.

At the time of his death, Jo ´l was involved in a court battle with his uncle Jéróme over the estate and had recently taken out a protection order barring Jéróme from contacting him. Jéróme had appealed the order, saying he was not a threat to anyone.

As the Free Press revealed earlier this week, a January 2006 police raid in south Winnipeg uncovered several high-powered weapons that had allegedly been hidden by Jéróme and Daniel Labossière, along with Hells Angels associates Andre Toupin (brother of murder suspect Jeremie) and Al Lebras.

At the heart of the estate dispute between Jo ´l, Daniel and Jéróme was how Fernand, Rita and Rémi’s estate should be divided. The dispute is before the courts and centres on two wills.