The mastermind behind a spectacular jailbreak by helicopter from a St-Jerôme detention centre in 2013 is now on trial for murder and attempted murder.
Benjamin Hudon-Barbeau is accused of two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in the fall of 2012 related to a drug turf war.
In his opening statement, crown prosecutor Steve Baribeau said they intend to prove that Hudon-Barbeau used a hitman - Ryan Wolfson - to carry out the crimes and either helped, encouraged or advised Wolfson to commit the crimes.
Baribeau said they intend to prove that Hudon-Barbeau had a reason to want to kill each man - Pierre-Paul Fortier; Vincent Pietrantonio; his son Tommy Pietrantonio; and Frederick Murdock, who was Vincent Pietrantonio's bodyguard. Fortier and Murdock both died in the shootings.
The first crown witness will be Hudon-Baribeau's ex who is expected to begin testifying tomorrow.
The crown will feature a total of 35 witnesses. The trial is scheduled to last 10 weeks before Justice France Charbonneau who oversaw the Charbonneau commission into corruption in Quebec's construction industry.
Hudon and another inmate escaped from the St-Jerôme detention centre in a helicopter but were captured a short time later and charged in that incident. Hudon had pleaded guilty and his sentence is pending. The other inmate got a sentence of seven years. Accomplices received sentences ranging from six to 15 years.