Mike on Crime

By Mike McIntyre
Winnipeg Free Press

The murders of Fernand, Rita and Remi Labossiere were allegedly “bought” for $5,000 and supposed to look like suicide, according to new court documents obtained by the Free Press.

Several hundred pages of search warrant affidavits became public Wednesday after a sealing order expired. They outline in detail the investigation of the 2005 triple slaying in St. Leon that recently concluded with the arrest of three suspects.

Hells Angel associate Jerome Labossiere — the brother and son of the victims — along with longtime friends Michel Hince and JeRemie Toupin are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy. None of the allegations has been proven and they are presumed innocent.

The court documents reveal police interviewed more than 100 people, focused on at least three other potential suspects, briefly tried an undercover sting operation, got legal permission to set up phone wiretaps and even learned of a secret love affair.

The documents include new details about how the three victims were killed, and candid conversations with concerned members of the Labossiere family and even the parents of suspects Hince and Toupin.

Concerns were expressed about other members of the Labossiere family being marked for death — fears that would be realized on April 20 when Joel Labossiere and his wife, Maggy, were shot execution-style in their home.

Kelly Clarke, a co-worker of Jerome Labossiere, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Winnipeg police have not said what, if any, connection there could be to the triple murder.

The double-killing isn’t mentioned in the search warrants because the latest police application occurred on April 10. The documents from that day indicated officers were getting close to finally making arrests in the St. Leon murder. Labossiere, Hince and Toupin were charged on May 2.

Among the revelations:

*Bank records seized by police confirmed Hince and Toupin purchased a St. Boniface home with a $5,000 down payment a few months after the murders. Police believe this money was paid to Hince and Toupin by Jerome Labossiere as part of the conspiracy to murder Fernand, Rita and Remi Labossiere.

*Police say the fire was set after the slaying of Fernand, Rita and Remi and was likely an attempt to destroy evidence.

*Some Labossiere family members speculated Remi may have killed his parents before ending his own life. Police found Remi was nearly $500,000 in debt and emotionally distraught. However, forensic analysis of the multiple gunshot wounds he suffered ruled out the possibility he shot himself, according to the warrants.

*According to police, Jerome Labossiere was deep in debt. Police believe a copy of Remi’s will Jerome produced after the killings — which purported to leave the entire estate to him and his family — was a fraud. A previous will from Remi had left everything to his six nieces and nephews.

The wills are the subject of court proceedings to determine which is valid.

*Police learned Remi Labossiere had been engaged in a two-year affair with a married woman in St. Leon. The woman and her husband were later viewed as potential suspects, but ruled out after they passed polygraph tests.

*The woman is believed to be the last person to have seen Remi alive. Her last sexual encounter with him occurred just hours before he and his parents were killed.

*Jerome suggested another possible suspect to police. The local resident had allegedly helped Jerome steal a load of canola from an area farmer in 2004 before they had a falling out. The man had attended a social the night of Nov. 26 — a few hours after the killing was discovered — and got into a fight, allegedly telling people, “Don’t f—k with me SSRqcause you see what happens to some people when they f—k with me. What happened in St. Leon will happen to you.”

The man agreed to a polygraph test and denied any involvement. He passed and was eliminated as a suspect.

*An autopsy revealed Remi had been shot in the head and left thigh.

His father was shot in the stomach and chest, his mother in the neck and head. Police also found at least 14 spent bullet casings inside the debris of the home. The weapons included a rifle, shotgun and handgun.

*Police tried to initiate an undercover investigation by having an officer approach Toupin at a Merritt, B.C., gas station in May 2007, claiming to be a friend of Jerome’s named “Rick.”

The officer failed to get Toupin to disclose any specifics about the circumstances of the killing.

“I just got sent here to give ya a little message, make sure you’re doin’ alright. The heat’s on,” the officer said to Toupin in a recorded conversation. Jerome was in jail at the time for drug offences. Toupin quickly said he had to leave, and did.

*Police started phone taps on their suspects in March 2007 after getting legal authorization from a Manitoba judge.

*Police say getting people to co-operate in the investigation was difficult.

“Several people have been re-interviewed as they were not as forthcoming in their initial statements as they could have been.

Many witnesses expressed a fear of retribution if the person(s) who committed these crimes found out they provided information to the police,” investigators wrote.