Canwest News Service Published: Monday, October 26, 2009

A Quebec mother accused of killing her three children as part of a murder-suicide pact fell to the floor in tears on Saturday as a jury convicted her of three counts of first-degree murder.

In a Saguenay courtroom, jurors revealed they had rejected Cathie Gauthier’s claims that she had wanted no part in the New Year’s Eve, 2008, deaths of her children, convicting her instead of premeditated murder.

The grisly crime shocked the community of Chicoutimi, a borough of Saguenay, about 200 kilometres north of Quebec City.

Defence lawyer Dominic Bouchard said his client was both disappointed and surprised by the verdict. He said they would appeal the decision.

“She’s devastated. She simply fell to the floor when she heard,” he said. “Her only hope now is to get a new trial.”

The bodies of Gauthier’s children — Joelle, 12, Marc-Ange, 7, and Louis-Philippe, 4 — and her husband, Marc Laliberte, were found by police in their rented house last January after Gauthier placed a frantic call to 911.

The children died after ingesting a mix of Gravol, an anti-nausea medication, and a mild tranquillizer prescribed to both parents. Mr. Laliberte died of blood loss due to a cut on his wrist and of a heart condition.

The couple had financial problems, were jobless and had filed for bankruptcy a few months before the events.

The defence argued Gauthier’s husband was the only one to blame for the deaths.

From the CBC

While the jury was deliberating, the media reported on the fact that Gauthier had attempted suicide while awaiting her trial. The information, which was not presented to the jury, was the subject of a publication ban during the trial.