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Murder accused pleaded to assault, threatening death days before arrest

He was released on bail to attend a treatment program
11-13-2018-PolicePresenceChartwellJH02
Sault Ste. Marie Police Service cruiser and forensics van parked at the scene of a murder on Chartwell Avenue on Tuesday, Nov. 13. James Hopkin/SooToday
Three days before Matthew L'Heuruex was arrested for second-degree murder, he was in a Sault Ste. Marie courtroom where he was released from custody after pleading guilty to three charges.

The 22-year-old was convicted last Friday of theft and assault with a weapon, offences involving one woman, and a count of threatening to cause death to another female.

The offences occurred on Aug. 26.

He had been charged with robbery for stealing medication and money while armed with a knife from the first woman, but pleaded guilty to the lesser included offence of theft under $5,000.

His lawyer Ken Walker said today that sentencing was put over to another date, and he was released on bail to attend a treatment program.

L'Heuruex was arrested Monday on the murder charge after police were called to the 100 block of Chartwell Drive.

At the request of the victim's family, police said the name of the deceased will not be released.

The accused appeared in bail court the following day where he was detained in custody.

To obtain bail on such a charge, an application must be filed and heard in the Superior Court of Justice.

Walker said the defence is not considering this option since his client was out of custody on other charges at the time.

L'Heuruex is scheduled to return to court Dec. 13. 

Court documents show that after he was charged in August with numerous offences, including the three he pleaded guilty to, a judge ordered on Sept. 14 that he be transported to the Waypoint Centre for Mental Heath Care in Penetanguishene for assessment.

The 30-day assessment was to determine whether the accused suffered from a mental disorder so as to exempt him from criminal responsibility (under a section of the Criminal Code) at the time of the acts he was charged with.

EDITOR'S NOTE: SooToday does not permit comments on court stories


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About the Author: Linda Richardson

Linda Richardson is a freelance journalist who has been covering Sault Ste. Marie's courts and other local news for more than 45 years.
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