Preliminary Hearing Scheduled for March in Laval Daycare Bus Crash Deaths

March Scheduled for Preliminary Hearing in Laval Daycare Bus Crash Deaths

November 29, 2023 TruthUSA

The preliminary hearing for a man accused of killing two children this year when a city bus was driven into a Laval, Que., daycare will begin on March 25.

Defence lawyer Julien Lespérance Hudon told a Laval court on Nov. 29 that he plans to challenge the two charges of first-degree murder on the grounds that his client, Pierre Ny St-Amand, did not have criminal intent.

Mr. St-Amand, 51, who remains detained at a Montreal psychiatric hospital, appeared in court on Nov. 29 by video conference.

Prosecutor Karine Dalphond says she plans to call about 10 witnesses during the four-day hearing, including a psychologist, a psychiatrist, and Mr. St-Amand’s wife.

Ms. Dalphond says the hearing, which will determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed to trial, will take place north of Laval in St-Jérôme because a courtroom isn’t available in Laval.

A bus driver with the Laval transit corporation at the time of the crash, Mr. St-Amand was arrested after a city bus plowed into the front of a daycare on Feb. 8, killing two four-year-olds, and injuring six other children.