Raphaël Bussières’ family feels let down by a justice system that allowed a violent, homeless, drug addict to cycle from the streets to jail and back again for 10 years.
“I live with great anger,” Bussières’ mother, Stéphanie Lachance, told the sentencing hearing for her son’s killer Friday in B.C. Supreme Court. “I cannot comprehend nor accept how a person with such a violent past can find themselves on our streets. This crime should never have happened. It is not a random occurrence. It is the decision made by our society which led to the death of Raphaël.”
Justin Carte, 28, pleaded guilty Thursday to manslaughter in the death of the 20-year-old Quebec City man after Justice Joyce DeWitt-Van Oosten found there was no evidence before the court that Carte had the intent to murder Bussières.
In the early morning of Nov. 26, 2016, Carte was high on drugs when he became physically aggressive with Bussières, touching him three times on the shoulder. When Bussières told him to stop, Carte swung at him, stabbing him in the neck with a knife and severing his carotid artery. Bussières died two days later in hospital.
The Crown asked the court to impose an eight-year prison sentence. Defence lawyer Tim Russell said a six- to seven-year sentence was appropriate.
Carte has a long history of violence, said prosecutor Steve Fudge. He had only been released from custody three days before he stabbed Bussières. He was on probation at the time and not allowed to possess weapons.
Carte had always resisted psychiatric help for his drug addiction, said Russell. However, he had just signed up for Victoria’s integrated court, which assists people with mental illness and addiction.
“He was going to try to turn this around,” said Russell. “But unfortunately, it was too little, too late.”
Carte was released from jail and handed his welfare cheque.
“He was on the street, homeless, he turned to the only thing he knew — drugs. He remembers trying to find food, shelter and more drugs. It’s a hazy period for him. He has a limited recollection of meeting Bussières on the street. He has no rational explanation for what happened.”
Carte will receive a lengthy prison sentence which will involve continuous treatment, said Russell.
“It’s what he needs and what society needs.”
Carte turned to the family and apologized. Bussières’ father Nicolas simply shook his head in disbelief.
The large close-knit family had flown from Quebec City and Toronto to attend the trial. As Bussières’ parents read their victim impact statements to the court, Bussières’ three sisters and other family members wept. A slideshow of a young, happy Bussières and his family was shown in court.
“Raphaël was a young, intelligent man, ambitious, tenacious, and generous,” said his mother. “Athletic, organized and responsible, he was appreciated by all teachers, coaches, employers and friends. ... For him, life had no meaning if it didn’t serve to help and make people happy.”
He spent three summers in Tofino, then moved to Victoria in the fall of 2016. Stéphanie Lachance talked to her son every day, sometimes several times a day.
On the night Bussières was stabbed, he told his mother he was going out with friends and hopefully would meet a beautiful woman. When he didn’t answer her text the next morning, she thought maybe he had. Instead, she received a Facebook message that he was fatally wounded.
“Ever since, the world has fallen from under me. I haven’t managed to sleep a full night. I wake up with the image of my son in agony on a street corner. I know him very well. Every night I can picture what his movements were. I know exactly how he was feeling during his last moments.”
Her three daughters are in pain, she said. “Their sorrow is so great and every day, I see their despair and even anger in their eyes.”
A few weeks ago, Dephine, 14, said to her: “If I live to be 90, imagine how long my life will be without my brother, far too long.”
Florence, 10, has difficulty concentrating. In class, she gets lost trying to understand how this could have happened. Camille, eight, who shared an especially strong bond with her brother, suffers and is angry. “She doesn’t understand how a person so dangerous could roam freely.”
Nicolas said he is constantly overwhelmed by pain, anger and feelings of guilt.
“I would have wanted to be there with him so much,” he said, his voice shaking. “Just to hold his hand and reassure him. To tell him how much I love him and how important he is to me, to us. He must have been angry, not understanding why. He did not want to leave, he was just starting his life. He had so much hope, so much to contribute towards making the world better.”
Nicolas said he blames Raphaël for not coming home sooner and he blame himself for not going to fetch him.
“I blame our judicial system for being too lenient, I blame the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the people that created the laws and their version of truth.”
Carte will be sentenced on Dec. 28.
