Pamela Jean's ex-boyfriend threatened to kill her before she was found dead, Crown says

The man on trial for the death of a 27-year-old Longueuil woman hadthreatened to kill her before she was found dead in a Montreal basement, the Crown argued in their opening statement Monday.

Crown prosecutor Catherine Perreault told the jury that Pamela Jeantried to break up with the accused, her longtime partner Juan Fermin Palma, around Christmas 2012, weeks before her death.

Palma took the prospect of a break-up badly and called her repeatedlyin the days that followed, Perreault said.

At one point, in front of several witnesses, Palma threatened to killher if she left him, Perreaultsaid.

Palma, 36, is on trial at the Montreal courthouse for first-degree murder in Jean's death.

The couple had been together for 12 years andhad one child, Perreault told the court.

Body found in Montreal North

Jean's body was found on Jan. 4, 2013 in a closet under the stairs of an apartment building where Palma had been living, on Htel-de-Ville Avenue inMontreal North, testified Montreal police Sgt. Det.AndranneLaplante, the Crown's first witness.

She had been reported missing to Longueuil police by her father on Jan. 1, she said.

Palma, wearing a plaid shirt with a tie and v-neck sweater, sat a behind a glass enclosureduring the proceedings.

The 12-person jury, comprised of eight men and four women, wasselected last week.

The Crown prosecutor is expected to call police investigators andfamily members, including Jean's mother, to testify.

The trial before Quebec Superior Court Justice Eric Downs is expected to last until late December.