Labossiere going straight to trial

Manitoba Justice has authorized a direct criminal indictment against a man accused of killing his elderly parents andbrother in 2005.

The controversial move oneused sparinglyby provincial prosecutors means the high-profile case against Denis Jerome Labossiere, 39, will proceed directly to trial without a preliminary inquiry.

The purpose of the preliminary hearing is to determine if the Crown's case is strong enough to take to trial.

Labossiere and two other men are accused of three counts of first-degree murder in connection to the shooting deaths of Labossiere's parents and brother in 2005.

Fernand Labossiere, 78, his wife, Rita, 74, and their son Remi, 44, were found dead in their home in St. Leon, Man., after a fire in 2005. It was later determined they had been shot.

The Crown has also obtained a direct indictment against Michel Hince a 22-year-oldco-accused in the case facing the same charges, but no such order yet exists for Jeremie Toupin, another man accused in the killings.

However, provincial court records indicate Toupin's charges remain active and he is due back in court on Friday.

Don Slough, Manitoba's director of prosecutions, signed the direct indictments against Labossiere and Hince on Mar. 9, according to court records.

The decision to bring the men straight to trial means the Crown does not have to show its evidence against Labossiere or Hince prior to trial. Any witnesses will only have to be called once to testify.

The two men were re-arrested at Stony Mountain Institution and formally informed of the Crown's order last Thursday. They are due back in court on Apr. 14.

The decision, however, is not without controversy in Manitoba.

In his report on the inquiry into the wrongful conviction of James Driskell, whose murder conviction was quashed after he spent more than 12 years in prison, inquiry commissioner Patrick LeSage recommended policy be revised to ensure direct indictment is only used in the most exceptional circumstances.