It took Gatineau police just over 14 years to pin down a suspect in the gruesome murder of Valérie Leblanc, an 18-year-old student whose body was found in a wooded area behind the Gabrielle-Roy campus of Cégep de l’Outaouais in the Hull sector on Aug. 23, 2011.
On Tuesday, the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) announced the arrest of Stéphane Rivard, a 51-year-old Gatineau resident known to police.
The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) has authorized the filing of a charge of premeditated murder against him. Rivard will remain in custody until his court appearance, scheduled for Wednesday via videoconference.
“It is with great emotion that we announce this news today,” said SPVG director Simon Fournier at a press conference where virtually no details were disclosed.
At his side, Chief Insp. Mathieu Guilbault of the criminal investigation division offered only a terse comment referring to modern investigative methods.
“Over the past 14 years, our investigative approach has focused on modernizing practices and training our investigators. Over the years, we have been able to take advantage of the most effective investigative techniques, which has enabled us today (Tuesday) to identify and arrest (the suspect).”
When the body was discovered, police officers could only confirm the death of the young woman, whose mutilated body bore signs of violence and burns. A coroner later concluded that she had died from a head injury caused by a blunt object.
When asked whether the suspect resembled the composite sketch that had been released at the time, Guilbault refused to answer, citing “the ongoing legal process.” He also declined to say whether Rivard had any known connection to Leblanc.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
