The jury heard evidence that the 2021 drive-by shooting was intended as revenge for the death of a street gang member who was killed in Montreal.
All three of the men who were on trial in a case in which they were charged with three murders carried out in Rivière-des-Prairies three years ago were declared guilty by a jury on Wednesday.
After deliberating for several days, the jury at the Montreal courthouse found the men guilty of three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and one count of discharging a firearm with the intent to cause bodily harm.
The jury’s foreman took the time to repeat each charge that was read to him by a clerk in full before saying “guilty” to all of the charges the trio faced. The men convicted in the case are Jonas Castor, 26, Stevenson Choute, 23, and Clifford Domerçant-Barosy, 29.
The men who were killed in the drive-by shooting on the evening of Aug. 2, 2021, were Jerry Willer Jean-Baptiste, 29, Jafferson (Soldier) Syla, 29, and Molière Dantes, 63.
When the trial opened, the Crown said the victims targeted in the shooting were gathered inside and outside an apartment on Perras Blvd. to celebrate a birthday when two cars sped by. Shots were fired from both of the vehicles. The drive-by shooting was recorded by a surveillance camera outside the apartment building.
Marlon Villa-Guzman, 38, one of the two drivers, testified as a prosecution witness in the trial. He said he was acting as Domerçant-Barosy’s driver that day, as he had done often in the past, and did not know what was going to happen. He said he drove his longtime friend to a brief meeting with other people before Domerçant-Barosy instructed him to drive along Perras Blvd. When they reached the apartment building, Villa-Guzman told the jury, Domerçant-Barosy suddenly pulled out a firearm and opened fire.
In May, Villa-Guzman pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is currently serving a 10-year sentence for his role in what happened. A youth who was inside the other vehicle was also charged in the case in youth court.
Domerçant-Barosy testified in his defence and claimed he did not go to the apartment with the intention to kill anyone. He said someone he sold cannabis to asked him to scare people at the apartment and that he opened fire when he heard shots fired toward him. Apparently, the jury did not believe a word of this.
The jury also heard evidence that indicated the three men on trial carried out the drive-by shooting as revenge for the death of Jesse Dave Chatelier, 26, who was killed in Montreal early in 2021, several months before the triple murder.
According to a report published by La Presse in 2021, Chatelier had ties to the 43 street gang based in Montreal North. La Presse also reported that Chatelier’s death appeared to be related to a conflict between the 43 street gang and the Profit Kollectaz, a rival gang that has been tied to several acts of violence in recent years.
When Domerçant-Barosy testified, he was asked several questions about his ties to Chatelier and how he appeared to send and receive messages related to his death, including after he was arrested as a suspect in the triple murder. Domerçant-Barosy downplayed the significance of the messages and described Chatelier as a longtime friend.
At one point in the trial, Superior Court Justice Alexandre Boucher told the jury to disregard any evidence they heard that could be related to street gangs.
The judge agreed to hear sentencing arguments in January. While the three men automatically received life sentences for the first-degree murder convictions — with no chance at full parole until they have served 25 years behind bars — they have to be sentenced on the other offences they were convicted of.