Jonathan Mahautiere found guilty of second-degree murder

After six days of deliberation, a jury has found Jonathan Mahautiere guilty of killing Gabrielle Dufresne-Elie.

Gabrielle was 17 years old and just about to graduate high school when Mahautiere killed her in a motel room in June 2014.

The pair were a couple for several years before their relationship became turbulent and they went to couples therapy.

During those sessions, Gabrielle told the therapist that the meetings were pointless, because she just wanted to leave Mahautiere.

After leaving their final session, the pair agreed to meet for an intimate encounter at the Chablis Motel on Sherbrooke St. East, which is where Mahautiere strangled Gabrielle before calling 911 a block away from the hotel.

The victim was taken to hospital by police and paramedics, but succumbed to her injuries the next day.

This was the second trial for Mahautiere regarding this crime.

In 2017 a jury deliberated for eight days but was unable to agree on a verdict after Mahautiere admitted in court that he had killed Gabrielle.

Sentencing arguments for this verdict should take place in November.

Mahautiere will face an automatic life sentence, but up for debate is how long Mahautiere will spend in prison before being eligible for parole. The minimum time is 10 years.