‘Extraordinary brutality’: Montreal teen Meriem Boundaoui’s killer sentenced to life in prison

The man convicted of murdering Montreal teenager Meriem Boundaoui in Saint-Leonard in 2011 was handed two life sentences on Thursday.

Salim Touaibi was sentenced to life in prison for Boundaoui’s death and a second life sentence for the attempted murder of four people who were nearby. He has no chance of parole for 25 years.

A jury convicted Touaibi last month of first-degree murder for pulling up to a car and opening fire, fatally shooting Boundaoui as she sat in the passenger seat of the targeted vehicle on Feb. 7, 2021.

Quebec Superior Court judge Yvan Poulin told a courtroom Thursday that Boundaoui’s death highlights the consequences of illegal weapons trafficking and the dangers it poses to the public.

Poulin described Boundaoui as a bystander who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was caught in the crossfire of a conflict between two family businesses that did not concern her. The Superior Court trial heard that Boundaoui, 15, was sitting in the passenger seat of a Volkswagen Jetta when a white Mercedes with two men inside pulled up and one of them opened fire.

Touaibi testified to being the shooter, but said he didn’t realize Boundaoui or anyone else was in the car when he shot at it with the intention of scaring those nearby.

But Justice Poulin said Touaibi had been tracking down his rivals to kill them, and the fact that he shot the teen instead doesn’t make him any less guilty.

“The judge was very severe and in regards to the accused individual himself, he considers him as a violent individual because he used a weapon in a public space, he had two prior records of possession of a prohibited firearm and he also had prior records of a breach of condition for not being allowed to possess those firearms,” said Walid Hijazi, a criminal attorney in Montreal, adding, “so the judge also concludes that he has a total disregard for the law, that he’s a danger for society, hence a very heavy sentence today.”

During an emotional sentencing hearing on April 2, the family of the teenager remembered her as their “joy, pride and hope” in emotional victim impact statements.

One of the four people who were standing near the Jetta was struck, sustaining life-altering injuries, while the other three were uninjured.

Prosecutor Simon Lapierre pushed for Touaibi to be given a life sentence for the attempted murders, given the violent nature of the crime, the number of victims and his criminal history.

Touaibi’s lawyer, Marc Labelle, acknowledged that his client had committed a violent crime. However, he said Touaibi was not a hardened criminal, despite having a criminal record, adding that the accused had admitted his actions and shown regret. He suggested a 12- to 14-year sentence instead. 

–With files from The Canadian Press