Judge grants bail to Quebec man as 1994 murder conviction under review

Concerns about the fairness of the man’s trial led a Quebec judge to grant him bail after he spent 33 years in prison for four murders. A federal panel is looking into the case of Daniel Jolivet for a possible injustice. In the meantime, Jolivet’s release from prison pending the review was announced by Justice Lyne Décarie of the Quebec Superior Court on Friday at the Montreal courthouse. In Brossard, Que., south of Montreal, in 1994, Jolivet, 68, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. In June, the Crown wrote to Jolivet’s attorney to say that it had reasonable grounds to conclude that the accused did not receive a fair and equitable trial. After the judge read her decision, Jolivet’s lawyer Nicholas St-Jacques told reporters his client will finally be able to “breathe outside” after 33 years in prison. In October, the federal government said there were reasonable grounds to believe a miscarriage of justice had occurred in the case, and the Justice Department’s criminal conviction review group will investigate. “For Mr. Jolivet … he’ll have a real life, to have a life with people whom he loves, to be able to enjoy the small little things that we enjoy everyday.”
According to St-Jacques, he had worked on the case for 17 years. “This is probably the best day of my career,” he said.
Prosecutor Lina Thériault said both the Crown and defence had consented to have Jolivet released pending the review of his case.
According to St-Jacques, the review might take up to five years.