03/28/08
Mother Drowns Son
Louise Desnoyers, 48 at the time, was in the middle of divorce and suffered from depression.
She entered the US from Montreal, Canada, on Monday, August 14, 2006 with her 8-year-old son, Nicholas Desnoyers-Langlois. Nicholas' body was found about 7:00pm the next day, drown in Lake Champlain.
His mother is now accused of 1st degree murder.
In an affidavit obtained by The Montreal Gazette, Louise Desnoyers, 48, she is alleged to have said her son was in a "nice place" when police questioned her about his whereabouts.
When asked about her son's death, the affadavit alleges Desnoyers "cupped her right hand and made a motion pushing down.
"She advised she held his head under water. She said, 'I kill him' in broken English."
Desnoyers allegedly told police where to find her son's body. Still in the water, the boy's wrist had been tied to a mooring that was determined to be an old cast-iron radiator, the affidavit alleges.
Police said the woman had tried to commit suicide, possibly by consuming windshield fluid or anti-freeze. The affadavit said police found Desnoyers tangled in barbed wire in a shed after responding to a call about a blood-stained abandoned car.
On August 18, 2006, Desnoyers pleaded not guilty Friday to drowning her son in Lake Champlain, and was taken to a Vermont state hospital for a month-long evaluation to determine whether she is capable of standing trial.
Jury selection for her upcoming trial will begin on April 21st, 2008, with opening statements the next day.
Resources...
http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080225/NEWS02/802250349/1003/NEWS02
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=f56e7820-5031-42c1-928c-c0aca89108ab&k=38452
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=a0513560-6341-423a-badf-93b87e3b8a5c&k=69696
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2006/08/18/desnoyer-murder.html?ref=rss
UPDATES
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03/31/08
Judge steps down from Denoyers case
A Vermont judge has recused himself from the case of a Montreal woman charged with drowning her 8-year-old son.
Louise Desnoyers, 50, is awaiting trial for first-degree murder. Judge Ben Joseph has been handling the case but court officials say he removed himself Thursday and issued a gag order preventing lawyers and police from discussing the case publicly. No reason was given for either decision.
Story resource...
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8080167&nav=4QcS