Teenager charged with 1st-degree murder, sex assault in killing of Quebec City woman

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder and armed sexual assault in the killing last month in Quebec City of 19-year-old Daphnee Jolivet.

The Crown said on Tuesday it will seek an adult sentence if he is convicted.

Police said officers arrested the suspect on Oct. 26 for impaired driving and vehicle theft, and were led to a home in Quebec City’s Limoilou district, where they found Jolivet’s body and another 16-year-old boy, who was in critical condition.

The suspect, who cannot be identified because of his age, was arrested on Monday for the killing of Jolivet. He has also been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault against the 16-year-old boy who was found in the home.

Quebec City police said in a statement that the teen suspect, who appeared before a youth division Quebec court judge on Tuesday, appears to have acted alone and that there was no link between the boy and the two victims.

Prosecutor Hugo Breton explained to reporters outside the courtroom on Tuesday why the Crown will seek an adult sentence.

“Considering the seriousness of the offences, the seriousness of the actions, the Crown has decided to file — and this is the exception under the Youth Criminal Justice Act — a request for the teen to be subject to an adult sentence if he is found guilty,” Breton said.

First-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence without possibility of parole for 25 years for adults, Breton explained. But under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the maximum sentence for the same crime is 10 years, including six years in custody and four under supervision.

Jolivet’s killing is the sixth homicide reported in the provincial capital in 2023; police have made arrests in five of those cases.

The case is scheduled to return to court Dec. 15.