Murder charge laid in death of former cult leader

Roch Theriault is shown in this 1981 file photo. (THE CANADIAN PRESS)

A first-degree murder charge has been laid in the death of former cult leader Roch Theriault.

Matthew Gerard MacDonald, 60, of Port au Port, Newfoundland, appeared in Moncton Provincial Court Friday morning.

Once described as Canada's Charles Manson, Theriault was found dead near his cell at New Brunswick's Dorchester Institution on February 26.

Police say the 63-year-old got into an altercation with another inmate inside the correctional centre.

Theriault founded and led a notorious sect in the 1980s. It was first established in two Quebec towns, Saint-Marie-de-Beauce and Saint – Jogues, then finally in Burnt River, Ontario.

He was sentenced to life in prison in 1993 for the gruesome murder of this wife, Solange Boilard, who was killed with a kitchen knife as part of a cult ritual.

MacDonald, who is serving time for two deaths in British Columbia, will return to court May 13 to enter a plea.

With files from The Canadian Press