Hells Angels sympathizer Benjamin Hudon-Barbeau faces murder charges

A man who engineered a daring helicopterescape from aSt-Jrme, Que., jail was charged on Thursday with two unrelated counts of firstdegreemurder and three counts of attempted murder.

HellsAngels sympathizerBenjaminHudon-Barbeau, 38,is accused of participating in a series of crimes in the provincesLaurentiansregion in the fall of 2012 relating to a drug turf war. He pleaded not guiltyin court Thursday.

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Ryan Wolfon, an alleged accomplice of Hudon-Barbeau, has also beencharged in connection to the alleged crimes.

The Crown asked to skip the preliminary hearing and go straight trial. Hudon-Barbeau's next court appearance is scheduled for June 5.

Hudon-Barbeau made headlines in March 2013 after he and Danny Provenal escaped from a Saint-Jrme detention centre after two accomplices hijacked a helicopter and forced its pilot to fly to the jail.Hudon-Barbeau and Provenalclimbed up a rope into the waiting chopper.

He was nabbed by police a few hours later.

He was serving time at the provincial jail for gun possession at the time of his escape.

Arrested in SharQc dragnet

Hudon-Barbeau had previously beenarrested under the SharQc anti-biker gang operation in 2009, but had his case dropped two years laterwhen aQuebec judge granted a stay in proceedings for 31 of the 155 people swept up inSharQc.

At the time, Quebec Superior CourtJudge JamesBruntontold a Montreal courtroom that anticipated delays would have prevented the men from having fair trials.

In 2010, Hudon-Barbeau wasconvicted of two counts ofattempted murderin relation to a gun fight at a downtown Montreal bar four years prior. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Some witnesses at his trial were allegedly beaten andbribed.The primary eyewitnessrecanted his testimony after the trial.

The Quebec Court of Appeal overturned his convictionand acquitted him.