” I’m going to kill you “. ” You will die “. “Your grave is dug.” Death threats repeated over and over again by an enraged man. A few days before Gisèle Itale Betondi was killed in front of her children, her ex-husband had threatened to kill her twenty times.
“Gisele! I will determine how long you will live. You’re already dead. Know that you are dead. You will die ! The children will live with me. You will die ! You’re a dead woman! You’re going to die,” the man on the other end of the line spits.
A terrifying and incredibly violent call was presented to the jury Tuesday in the trial of Hosea Amorus Puhya, accused of the first degree murder of his ex-wife. According to the Crown, the man just released from prison stalked, spied on and murdered his ex-wife on September 8, 2022, in the LaSalle borough of Montreal.
A video showing the murder was shown to the jury last week. In these blood-curdling images, we see Gisèle Itale Betondi placing her children in the car in front of her home. Suddenly, a man appears and attacks him with a knife. An extremely violent attack. Before dying, the victim told her neighbor that the assailant was “her husband.”
Videos presented at the trial make it possible to follow the attacker’s journey on the bus and in the metro. According to the Crown, this is undoubtedly Hosea Amorus Puhya.
Five days earlier, on September 3, 2022, Hosea Amorus Puhya had a telephone conversation with Gisèle Itale Betondi. That appeal was presented to the jury on Tuesday. The discussion is in Cameroonian Pidgin, their mother tongue. The tone of the accused is extremely aggressive.
Hosea Amorus Puhya then suspects his ex-wife of having had a relationship with another man. His insults quickly take a religious tangent. He mentions “God’s final judgment” numerous times and calls the victim a “demon,” a “witch,” and a “cursed woman.”
His threats intensify. He repeats ad nauseam to Gisèle Itale Betondi that she is going to die and that he is going to kill her. He describes her as a “walking corpse.” “You think the government is going to protect you. He can not ! It’s impossible ! Where are you going to hide? », he says.
A few months earlier, Hosea Amorus Puhya also clearly threatened the victim. During this call, he spits this at her: “I’m going to kill you. I will personally kill you. I tell you I’m going to kill you. Do you think you are stronger than me? I’m going to put a knife in your stomach and you’re going to die. Dirty thing.”
Hosea Amorus Puhya then found himself in prison for a certain period. According to the Crown’s theory, he found the victim’s new home using a GPS tracking application.
The trial continues Wednesday before Judge Catherine Perreault. Me Jade Coderre and Philippe Vallières-Roland represent the public prosecutor, while Antonio Cabral and Vanessa Sadler defend the accused.
