TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Quebec – A 27-year-old man convicted of participating in a cold-blooded triple murder in Trois-Rivières as a youth in 2014 has been denied parole.
Cédric Bouchard assisted his friend, Kaven Sirois, in the killing of two sisters and one of their boyfriends inside a home on Feb. 11, 2014. Sirois wanted to kill one of the girls after she ended their relationship and asked him not to contact her anymore. In the months leading up to the triple slaying, Bouchard and Sirois planned to kill the girl, along with several other people, including any police officers who would show up at the crime scene.
On June 26, 2015, Bouchard pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder as well as three counts of conspiracy to commit murder. He is serving three life sentences, but because he was a minor when he committed the crimes, he became eligible for parole after serving 10 years behind bars, instead of the standard 25 years.
Bouchard had a hearing before the Parole Board of Canada this week. The board deliberated and on Friday released a decision denying Bouchard both day and full parole.
The board wrote in its decision, “You presented a realistic release plan, but it is premature at this stage of your sentence. Although you aspire to return to the community, during your hearing, you recognized the relevance of a gradual approach in managing your case while you still have many elements to work on before returning to the community, in order to successfully reintegrate into society.”
Bouchard did not know the victims. He and Sirois used this to their advantage to access the home. Bouchard pretended to need to use a phone for an emergency. When Bouchard gained entry, Sirois followed him inside carrying two hunting rifles he had stolen from his father. When one of the sisters realized what was going on, she ran upstairs and hid with the boy inside a closet.
When the judge decided to sentence Bouchard as an adult, he noted that Bouchard and Sirois carefully planned the murders and had a chance to change their minds when they missed a bus because the guitar case they used to carry the rifles tore open. Instead of calling it quits, Bouchard and Sirois went back to Sirois’s home, taped up the guitar case and returned on their murderous path.
Ultimately, Bouchard’s parole was denied based on his inability to explain how he was able to commit such actions and his need for further introspective work before being reintegrated into society.
The report will be updated as necessary.