MONTREAL — A Quebec man who was convicted of second-degree murder in the killing of a 10-year-old girl north of Montreal in 1994 has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Superior Court Justice Hélène Di Salvo said today in St-Jerôme, Que., that Réal Courtemanche has not shown any remorse and there’s no hope for his rehabilitation.
The man in his 60s was already in prison for other crimes when he admitted last month that the evidence in the case proves beyond a reasonable doubt that he murdered Marie-Chantale Desjardins.
The 10-year-old disappeared on July 16, 1994, after she left a friend’s house to return home in Ste-Thérèse, Que., northwest of Montreal.
Her body was found four days later in a wooded area bearing injuries that suggested she’d been forcefully attacked from behind.
Di Salvo said the 25-year parole ineligibility is justified because of the victim’s young age and vulnerability, the savage nature of the attack and Courtemanche’s lengthy criminal history.
The judge noted he has committed at least 86 criminal infractions and was declared a dangerous offender in 2015 after he was convicted of kidnapping a woman and assaulting her with a knife.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2025.
The Canadian Press
