(Saint-Jérôme) On his hospital bed, Jano Vincent admitted to his ex-partner that he had wanted to take his own life on Highway 50. He had put his “foot to the bottom” behind the wheel of his F-150 pickup truck. This is what his ex-wife told the jury on Tuesday at the trial of Jano Vincent, accused of having killed a man while trying to end his life.
The trial of the 37-year-old man began last week at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse. Jano Vincent is charged with the second degree murder of Robert Campion. According to the Crown’s theory, Jano Vincent had every intention of committing suicide on October 6, 2019 following a conflict with his parents.
Jano Vincent got behind the wheel of his Ford F-150 and collided head-on with the recreational vehicle driven by Robert Campion on Highway 50 near Grenville-sur-la-Rouge. A face-off at over 100 km/h. According to the Crown, it was a “voluntary” gesture on the part of Jano Vincent.
The question of suicide is therefore at the heart of this trial, since it is the motive put forward by the prosecution. “The defendant used his Ford F-150 as a weapon which he turned against himself and Mr. Campion. This is why he committed murder according to our theory,” explained Crown prosecutor Steve Baribeau at the start of the trial. He teams up with Mr. Alexandre Dubois.
Julie Léveillé was Jano Vincent’s partner a few months before the fatal collision. She told the jury on Tuesday that the accused then reached the bottom of the barrel. A monetary conflict with his parents over the sale of a house was poisoning his life. He was even chased by his parents.
“He was no longer himself, he had lost a lot of weight. He didn’t understand how a parent could do that. I saw him wasting away every day. I lived with it. He was devastated. Completely destroyed. We broke him completely,” she testified.
Two days before the accident, Julie Léveillé told him that she had met another man. They had already broken up at the time. “He didn’t take it. He told me he was out to get revenge on me,” she told the jury.
After the fatal collision, Jano Vincent was hospitalized for a long time. When he regained consciousness, his ex-partner went to visit him. It was there that he confided his true intention to her.
“He told me he wanted to take his own life on the 50. That he wanted to die. That he couldn’t take it anymore. He told me there. It was the first time he admitted to me that he had wanted to commit suicide. Direct like that,” said Julie Léveillé.
A few months later, Jano Vincent attempted suicide again by swallowing tablets. Julie Léveillé then alerts the emergency services. The man left a 15-page letter for his parents. In his missive, the accused said he had become “disabled” because he wanted to “end with [his] shitty life.”
At the start of the trial, the Crown prosecutor stressed to the jury the importance of this letter. “This is not an ordinary letter written in ordinary circumstances. […] Pay particular attention to the content and comments emanating from the accused in this letter,” insisted Mr. Baribeau.
The trial continues this week before Judge Mario Longpré.
