Murder suspect in Montreal CRA employee killing dies before trial
Youcef Moussaoui, 33, accused of first-degree murder in the death of Leila Ben Salem, died on Nov. 2. Quebec's coroner is investigating.
Suspect in Montreal killing dies ahead of trial, coroner investigates
Youcef Moussaoui, 33, who was awaiting trial on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Montreal woman Leila Ben Salem, has died, cbc.ca reports. Quebec's coroner's office confirmed it was notified of Moussaoui's death on Nov. 2 and that an investigation is now underway.
Neither the coroner's office nor Quebec's prosecutor's office offered further comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Ben Salem, 45, was a Canada Revenue Agency employee who was killed in her downtown Montreal apartment on Sept. 22 while participating in a video conference. Around 3:25 p.m. that day, a 911 caller requested a wellness check at a building on René-Lévesque Boulevard, near St-Christophe Street. Officers responding to the call found an unresponsive woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Montreal police said at the time that the killing was not a case of intimate partner violence.
Following Moussaoui's death, the Montreal police force provided additional details about its investigators' findings in an email to the Canadian Press. The force stated that Moussaoui had performed work at Ben Salem's home and that a "relationship of trust" had developed between them.
"Evidence gathered by investigators indicated that the accused was experiencing financial difficulties and was facing demands for repayment for important sums that had been lent to him," police said. Investigators also found evidence of financial transactions carried out on the victim's accounts after her death.
In the same email, the force expressed condolences to Ben Salem's family. "We are aware that this situation deprives them of the judicial process," police wrote.
The case was scheduled to return to court next month, according to Quebec's prosecutor's office.
Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)