Crown won’t appeal case of Quebec man who killed Alzheimer’s-stricken wife
Posted Jun 18, 2019 1:41 pm.
MONTREAL — The Crown says it won’t be appealing a sentence handed down last month to a Quebec man who killed his Alzheimer’s-stricken wife in 2017.
Quebec’s director of criminal and penal prosecutions says in a brief statement today it won’t seek a stiffer sentence for Michel Cadotte.
Cadotte, 58, was sentenced May 28 to two years less a day in jail, three years of probation and 240 hours of community service.
A jury found Cadotte guilty of manslaughter on Feb. 23 for the suffocation death of his wife of 19 years in her long-term care bed.
Jocelyne Lizotte, 60, was in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease and was unable to speak or care for herself.
The Crown had sought an eight-year prison term, citing the vulnerability of the victim and the violent nature of her death, while the defence had recommended a sentence of between six and 12 months.
Neither the Crown nor the defence was able to find any jurisprudence that could guide the judge on sentencing.
Crown spokesman Jean Pascal Boucher says in a statement that following a rigorous examination of Quebec Superior Court Justice Helene Di Salvo’s decision, the decision was made not to appeal.
Boucher says that Lizotte’s family was advised of the decision.
The Canadian Press
