By Canadian Press

Quebec Halloween sword attack suspect says ‘bad’ version of him committed murder

Apr 28, 2022 | 12:34 PM

QUEBEC — The man accused of murdering two people with a sword in Quebec City on Halloween night 2020 insisted there were two competing versions of himself who were fighting for control.

Under cross-examination today by the Crown, Carl Girouard pinned the blame for the murders on the “bad Carl,” who had been obsessed with a mission to kill since about age 18.

Girouard, 26, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of François Duchesne, 56, and Suzanne Clermont, 61, on Oct. 31, 2020, and he is also charged with five counts of attempted murder.

He admits to killing Duchesne and Clermont and injuring five others, but he is mounting a not criminally responsible defence by way of mental disorder.

Girouard is insisting there were two versions of him the night of the murders — a normal one and a second version that was laser-focused on a mission to create chaos.

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He says the version of himself that wanted to kill and sow chaos no longer exists. 

“It’s a part of me because I had two Carls within me,” the accused testified today, adding that it was the other version of him that carried out the attack. 

“It’s not Carl Girouard that would’ve done something like this — it’s impossible,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2022.

The Canadian Press