Quebec killer ordered to remain in men’s prison despite identifying as female

By Canadian Press on April 9, 2025.

MONTREAL — Federal corrections officials say a convicted killer must remain in a men’s prison despite identifying as a woman.

Mohamed Al Ballouz, who now uses the name Levana, was sentenced in December to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years.

In 2022, Al Ballouz murdered Synthia Bussières and the couple’s sons — five-year-old Eliam and two-year-old Zac — in the Montreal suburb of Brossard.

Al Ballouz, who transitioned in custody, had asked to be incarcerated at the Joliette Institution for Women, northeast of Montreal.

But Correctional Service of Canada says it has completed an assessment of the convicted killer and decided Al Ballouz will remain in a men’s prison to carry out a life sentence for second-degree murder.

The agency says each request for accommodation is assessed individually.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2025.

The Canadian Press

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