North Bay man found guilty of 1980 murder, eligible for parole after 15 years
The man charged 40 years after the brutal murder of a North Bay woman in her home has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Roger Deschenes will be 78 years old when he becomes eligible for parole for killing Micheline St. Amour in her East Ferris home on July 10, 1980.
He was originally charged Nov. 18, 2020, with first-degree murder, however was found guilty of the lesser charge of second-degree murder last month, the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General confirmed to CTV News. The first-degree murder charge was withdrawn and no pretrial custody was credited.
St. Amour was 20 years old when she was stabbed to death in her bedroom, leaving behind a husband and two-year-old daughter.
Ontario Provincial Police credited advances in DNA technology with helping catch her killer.
"The day you look forward to as a criminal investigator is being able to tell a family what happened to their loved one," said OPP Det. Insp. Kurtis Fredericks.
"There is no closure to a family that loses a family member this way, but there is a sense of resolution and having answers to questions they’ve had for years about the loss of their loved one."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.