Man charged with murders of his sisters appeared ready to go to war

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Denis Leblanc appeared to be ready for a war when he allegedly killed his two sisters and fired shots when Montreal police officers arrived at his home in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough more than three years ago.

A jury hearing Leblanc’s murder trial at the Montreal courthouse on Tuesday was shown a series of photos taken by a crime scene technician that showed rifles and ammunition appeared to have been strategically placed in different parts of Leblanc’s home.

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Earlier in the trial, Sûreté du Québec Constable Christophe Hervé showed the jury photos of an old Winchester rifle found on a sidewalk outside Leblanc’s home on Ontario St. E. after he was shot in the leg during an exchange of gunfire with the first police officers who arrived on Oct. 3, 2020, after the accused’s sisters, Diane, 61, and Sylvie, 56, were killed at the back of the duplex.

Hervé said he was told the rifle found on the sidewalk was probably the firearm Leblanc, 63, used to kill his younger sisters and then exchanged gunfire with the police. Leblanc was shot in the leg, and Hervé was asked to take photos of the accused’s bloodstained jeans, which were also found outside his home.

In another set of photos shown to the jury, Hervé recorded how, when police searched inside Leblanc’s home, they found rifles resting next to different doors that led outside the dwelling. One of the rifles found near the doorways was loaded with three bullets, including one in the chamber of the firearm. A leather belt designed to hold more than 20 bullets was found close to the rifle, and someone had stuffed a full load of ammunition inside the separate bullet holders.

A similar belt loaded with more bullets was found near a rifle placed near another doorway.

Inside a bedroom, police found another rifle resting on a chair next to a window with a small box of ammunition resting on the windowsill. Another rifle was found just a few metres away in the bedroom closet.

The jury was also shown photos of where Diane and Slyvie Leblanc’s bodies were found when police arrived. Hervé said it appeared Diane Leblanc was shot on her brother’s balcony, close to the back entrance to his home. Sylvie Leblanc’s body was found on a walkway that led to the balcony.

pcherry@postmedia.com

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