Quebec Halloween murder suspect testifies he was on a mission to kill people

The man accused of murdering two people with a sword on Halloween 2020 in Quebec City’s historic district testified that ever since he was 18, he had a clear mission in his head to kill people.

Shackled and handcuffed in the witness box, Carl Girouard, 26, testified in his own defence Wednesday. He told the court his mission had to be accomplished at all costs – that it was a duty, and not a desire.

Girouard is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of Suzanne Clermont, 61, and Francois Duchesne, 56, on Oct. 31, 2020, and he is also charged with five counts of attempted murder.

He also testified that his mission would alert like-minded people – who he called his alter egos – so they could create a better world, and that it was necessary to establish chaos to get to this.

He said when he was 15 or 16, he developed a strong interest in video games with swords and knives.

He said he had settled on Old Quebec because its historic buildings and statues reminded him of the medieval video games he adored.

“School is not good,” he said. “We should be living like video games.”

Girouard admits to killing two people and injuring five others with a sword but will argue he was not criminally responsible at the time of the events because he was suffering from a mental disorder.

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Answering questions from his lawyer Pierre Gagnon, Girouard described himself as two different people _ one person who went to work and lived in the real world and another who was mission-focused.

The mission, he said, caused him to frequently quit jobs when he felt his colleagues were trying to get to know him better. He said he avoided close relationships in order to remain focused on his murderous objective.

Gagnon told jurors Wednesday he intended to present four witnesses.

The first person to take the stand for the defence was the accused’s mother, Monique Dalphond.

Dalphond told the court Wednesday her son, the third of four boys, had a long history of problems. She said he was cited for inappropriate behaviour beginning in his elementary school years, adding that a child psychologist intervened and Girouard was medicated for a time.

She told the court her son got a credit card when he turned 18 and spent his money collecting swords and samurai outfits – his only interests, she said, other than video games. Girouard, she added, had “no real friends, girlfriend or social life.”

Dalphond told the court she first heard of her son’s plan when police knocked on her door after the attacks occurred.

The defence will also call a detention centre employee who has observed Girouard since his arrest and an expert psychiatrist who will discuss the crux of the case – the issue of criminal responsibility.