'Justice for Kaylie': Dozens of supporters show up to northern Ont. man's court hearing
**WARNING - This article contains graphic details of intimate partner violence and may be upsetting to some readers
Dozens of 'Justice for Kaylie' supporters showed up Tuesday morning for a court hearing for the northern Ontario man accused in a vicious attack on his ex-girlfriend.
Protestors outside Haileybury courthouse calling for bail to be denied for Phillipe Gagnon, 18, who is charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault against his ex-girlfriend. Nov. 12, 2024 (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario)
Phillipe Gagnon, 18, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, weapons possession and breaching a conditional sentence.
He is accused of hitting Kaylie Smith, 16, with his vehicle before getting out and attacking her with a sword on a quiet street in Cobalt, Ont., the evening of Nov. 3 – provoking outrage in the community.
Gagnon was arrested in the nearby community of Haileybury in Temiskaming Shores shortly after the assault and remains in custody.
The Haileybury court docket listed a bail appearance for the accused Tuesday morning via Zoom, however, bail was not discussed or requested.
Justice Michelle Rocheleau heard the matter around 10 a.m. with a packed courtroom, around 200 participants on Zoom and nearly two dozen protestors outside the courthouse.
Gagnon appeared by video from the North Bay jail dressed in an orange jumpsuit with shaggy, brown hair.
The matter has been adjourned two weeks at the request of defence counsel R. Davies in order to receive disclosure evidence.
- Download the CTV News app now
- Get local breaking news alerts
- Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox
Kessie Pellerin was one of the people demonstrating outside the courthouse as the hearing was going on inside.
She told CTV News reporter Eric Taschner she is a friend of Smith's.
"We’re f****ing terrified," Pellerin said.
"This is usually a quiet town and nothing like this usually happens. That never happens in Temiskaming Shores."
None of the charges laid on Nov. 3 have been proven in court.
CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca is covering the case and will provide updates as new information becomes available.
Help is available
Confidential and free support is available for people experiencing violence. In an emergency, call 911.
-
Assaulted Women's Helpline 1-866-863-0511
- Fem'aide Helpline 1-877-336-2433
- Talk4Healing for Indigenous women 1-855-554-4325
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect is charged with murder in New York City
Manhattan prosecutors have obtained a warrant for the arrest of Luigi Nicholas Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO.
'Governor Justin Trudeau': Trump appears to mock PM in social media post
Amid a looming tariff threat, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump appears to be mocking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, referring to him as 'Governor Justin Trudeau' in a post on Truth Social early Tuesday.
Canada announces new sanctions against Chinese, Russian officials
Past and present senior Chinese officials, as well as Russian officials and collaborators, are the subjects of new human rights sanctions, the Canadian government said Tuesday.
'I never got the impression he would self-destruct:' Friends of suspect in fatal CEO shooting left in shock
Months before police identified Luigi Mangione as the man they suspect gunned down a top health insurance CEO and then seemingly vanished from Midtown Manhattan, another disappearing act worried his friends and family.
Google pulls McDonald's negative reviews over arrest in UnitedHealth murder
Google on Monday removed derogatory reviews about McDonald's MCD.N after the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson was arrested at its restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where police say a customer alerted a local employee about him.
Canadian man sentenced for embezzling US$1.4 million from employer and clients
U.S. authorities have sentenced a Canadian man to 20 months in prison for a US$1.4-million embezzlement scheme.
Freeland doesn't commit to meeting her own deficit target in fall economic statement
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is not committing to meeting the $40.1-billion deficit target she set for the government last year.
'Godfather of AI' Geoffrey Hinton receives Nobel Prize in physics
Artificial intelligence pioneer Geoffrey Hinton and co-laureate John Hopfield have received the Nobel Prize for physics at a ceremony in Stockholm.
'I was just trying to help her': Ontario woman loses $14,000 to taxi scam
An Ontario woman thought she was helping another woman pay for their taxi ride, but instead she was defrauded of $14,000.