Crime scene photos show 19-year-old victim’s life

MONTREAL — Crime scene photos presented in a Quebec cold case murder trial today are providing glimpses into the life of the 19-year-old junior college student whose life was cut short nearly 24 years ago.

Photos of the crime scene show a large white teddy bear wearing a bow tie, clothes, a school bag and movie posters in the apartment where Guylaine Potvin was found dead in April 2000, in Jonquière, Que., some 215 kilometres north of Quebec City.

The photos exhibited at Marc-André Grenon’s murder trial in Chicoutimi, Que., also include a letter Potvin wrote to her roommate, encouraging her to have a good weekend and take care of herself.

Today is the third day in the jury trial for Grenon, who has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault in Potvin’s death.

A previous witness who testified described Potvin as a conscientious student and a motherly type who was protective of her friends.

Audrey St-Pierre told the trial on Tuesday that she and Potvin had spent the evening together prior to the death, but had ended the night early to ensure they were ready to present a big project at school the next day. She returned the next morning to find her friend’s body.

Police arrested Grenon in 2022 after DNA on two drinking straws he had discarded were found to be a match with the evidence from the crime scene.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press