An individual who had been previously convicted of first-degree murder in the case of a Quebec junior college student in 2000 has now pleaded guilty to a second cold case.
Marc-André Grenon confessed on June 7 to the attempted murder of a woman who was found assaulted and left for dead in Quebec City in July 2000, shortly after the discovery of Guylaine Potvin’s body about 180 kilometers north.
Prosecutor Pierre-Alexandre Bernard stated outside the courtroom that Mr. Grenon pleaded guilty in the second cold case due to the “strong and convincing evidence” against him, which included his DNA being found at the crime scene.
Mr. Bernard commended the victim’s “courage, determination, and perseverance” during the more than 20 years she waited for justice.
“We sincerely hope that the resolution of the cases involving Marc-André Grenon today will allow her to move forward and live more freely,” he said.
In February, a jury deliberated for less than three hours before convicting Mr. Grenon of sexually assaulting and fatally strangling 19-year-old Potvin after breaking into her Saguenay, Quebec apartment while she slept. Justice François Huot described the perpetrator as “completely devoid of morality,” as well as “sexually depraved and a murderer,” sentencing Mr. Grenon to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
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Twenty-two years after the two crimes, investigators focused on the suspect when a project tracking Y chromosomes, which are passed down from father to son, indicated that the unidentified DNA left by Ms. Potvin’s killer was linked to the surname Grenon.
Police apprehended Mr. Grenon in 2022 after trailing him to a movie theater and gathering his discarded cup and straws, which were used to analyze his DNA and confirm the match to the murder.
The inquiry into Ms. Potvin’s murder revealed similarities with the Quebec City case, where a female student, living alone, was assaulted and left for dead but survived the attack. Mr. Grenon’s DNA was discovered at both crime scenes.
Mr. Bernard disclosed that Mr. Grenon was handed a 15-year prison sentence, to be served concurrently with the 25-year sentence for Ms. Potvin’s murder.
Mr. Grenon’s legal team has abandoned their appeal of his first-degree murder conviction, effectively closing the cases against him, he added.
