Robert Pickton’s alleged murderer in court in Sept-Îles

Martin Charest, the man accused of murder in the first degree of the serial killer Robert Pickton, appeared Thursday morning in Sept-Îles.

It appeared shortly before 10 a.m. by videoconference from a prison establishment in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines where it is detained.

Martin Charest was very little visible. The suspect was seated behind the bars of a cell, in the presence of her lawyer, Sonia Bogdaniec.

Judge Vicky Lapierre was about to define the next steps in legal proceedings when the connection was interrupted.

Canada Correctional Service has been unable to reconnect. The situation forced the defense lawyer to reappear in front of the court from his car, in videoconferencing on her cellular.

The prosecutor of the director of criminal and criminal proceedings (DPCP) on the file, Mélissa Hogan, confirmed that the evidence was almost complete in this file, and that it will be transmitted to the defense.

Mr. Charest’s appearance arrives more than a year after the death of Robert Pickton, a period that Ms. Hogan considers normal. It was essential to wait until you have all the proofshe says. Wearing criminal accusations is still something very serious, all the more reason for the accusations of crimes against the person.

Martin Charest’s file will return to the Court on September 2, at 4 p.m.

Who is Martin Charest?

We do not know about the man who appeared behind bars Thursday morning. Canada’s correctional service was content to confirm that it was serving criminal harassment.

But the detainee drags on him significant legal baggage.

Born in January 1972, he has accumulated dozens of files and more accusations since the 1990s. Qualified flight, threat of death or bodily injury, assault, criminal harassment are part of its roadmap.

In many cases, he pleaded guilty to the charges that were brought before him. Several of them concern gestures made in prison environment, notably at the Donnacona penitentiary.

A bunch attack

Robert Pickton died on May 31, 2024, after several days of artificial coma. On May 19, during the distribution of drugs at the Port-Cartier penitentiary, he was at the heart of an altercation that the guards initially succeeded in calming.

But the aggressor returned to the charge a few minutes later, when he has caught a broom, broke the handle And planted it in Pickton’s face, according to an investigation report detailing the event.

Ms. Hogan, the prosecutor of DPCPwill now have to prove that these gestures were premeditated.

In the meantime, Canada’s correctional service ensures that genre events are extremely rare in federal establishments. The SCC confirmed, however That some cases of assault between prisoners causing serious injuries have required medical escorts to a hospital outside the establishment of Port-Cartier from this incident.

On July 4, 2025, the findings of an investigation into the death of Mr. Pickton was published. Among the recommendations issued, there was that Reduce accessibility to objects that are used or transformed for purposes that compromise the safety of the establishment.

For its part, the SCC assures that he Already busy ensuring the locking of the doors of the cleaners of the cleaners in the common rooms in order to better control access to cleaning items.