FREDERIC SERRE
The 1019 Report

Quebec Court judge Bertrand St. Arnaud has lifted a publication ban in the case of Coteau du Lac mother Karyne Légaré, who is charged with the murder of her 5-year-old son at her home last month. Légaré, 29, will return to court Oct. 11, after her lawyer requested a delay to review new evidence presented by the Crown at the Valleyfield courthouse.

On Sept. 18, police responded to a frantic 911 call made from Légaré’s residence on Chemin du Fleuve at 3 a.m., where they found the lifeless body of the child., along with his mother and two other persons. Both Légaré and another person were taken to hospital. Police said Légaré had attempted to take her life. She is being held at the Leclerc penitentiary in Laval.

During Légaré’s court appearance by videoconferencing on Sept. 20, where she was formally charged with first-degree murder, Arnaud ordered the ban to protect the young victim’s identity. Last week, the ban was lifted, allowing media to identify him as Tommy Pilon.

According to police, the child’s body showed many injuries that had first-responders shaken when they arrived on the scene. Police, however, have not revealed how the child died.

Friends of Légaré said she had been battling mental illness, but appeared to have it under control.

Police confirmed that they had had run-ins with Légaré in the past, and had been called several times to her residence for wellness checks. She did not have a criminal record.