Witness comes forward in gas station murder case

A witness in the stabbing of 17-year-old gas station employee Brigitte Serre has come forward to talk to investigators. Jol Nantais, 18, responded to a police appeal and came forward just before 10 a.m. Friday.

Television cameras caught him heading in to police offices at Place Versailles in east end Montreal. Nantais had no comment.

His lawyer, Brigitte Martin, said Nantais was in a state of shock and intends to co-operate with police.

Suspect still at large

Investigators are still looking for Sbastien Simon, 18, a former employee who knew the victim.

Thursday, a customer of the station came forward, telling police he was there between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m., before the girl's body was discovered.

"He went to buy cigarettes, went to the gas station, paid for them. Two men accepted the money," said Olivier Lapointe of the Montreal police.

The man says he was served by two men wearing Shell gas station uniforms. The young man who served him seemed comfortable working at the station, the customer said. The clerk knew how to use the microphone, the cash register, and easily found the type of cigarettes the customer wanted.The man says there was no sign of anything unusual at the station that night, nor was there any sign of the 17-year-old female employee who was supposed to be working alone.

Tapes gone

Investigators were hoping surveillance camera tapes would help them get vital information in the case. But the tapes disappeared.

"We realized we don't have access to the video tape, so there's a possibility that the suspect left with [it]," police spokesman Benoit Couture said Thursday.

Wanted

• MONTREAL POLICE: Press Release

He has shaved, blonde hair, blue eyes, and has the words "thug life" tattooed on his two hands.

Sergio Moniz, 27, is also wanted for questioning in the case, police say.

Any information on the whereabouts of the suspects should be passed on to police through 911 or the Montreal police crime division at (514) 280-2052.

Brutal attack

Brigitte Serre was found dead after being stabbed several times. Her body was found on the floor of one of the bathroom stalls in the back of the Shell station.

Serre had been working at the store for several months, but was on her very first night shift.

• FROM JAN. 25, 2006: Gas station attendant, 17, killed on job

The teen was discovered at about 6:15 a.m. by a customer who saw something suspicious when approaching the store section of the station to pay for a gas purchase.

The customer called 911, and once on the scene, police smashed the locked door to get into the store.

Usually, the door remains locked all night. Customers are required either pay at the pump or through the security window of the store. The clerk can push an access button for any customer who wants to enter the store.

Wasn't supposed to be working: mother

In an interview, the mother of the victim, Anna Reppele, said Brigitte wasn't even supposed to be working the overnight shift that night, but was filling in for another employee.

Reppele's other daughter also worked at the same gas station. Brigitte worked two days per week, while her older sister works three days a week, Reppele told the TVA network.

She says her elder daughter was coming to relieve her daughter from the night shift when police were smashing on the door, trying to access the store. The elder daughter had a key, and unlocked the door for police. Reppele noted she was thankful that it was police and not her elder daughter who saw Brigitte's body.

Employee safety

The station was equipped with security systems such as locks and cameras, according to Shell Canada spokesperson Louis-Philippe Garipy. Company policy is to never have more than $50 in cash in the register overnight.

• AUDIO: CBC Radio's Dave Bronstetter talks to Louis Forget of Ultramar on the subject of employee safety (runs 6:40)

The case has prompted calls for tougher rules covering young people who work at night.

In Alberta, it's illegal for anyone under 18 to work alone at night, and Sid Stevens from Montreal's Sun Youth Organization wants Quebec to introduce the same measure.

"I think it's something that we have to look at very seriously. I hope the government changes the law," he said.

Quebec Labour Minister Laurent Lessard said he'll consider changes.