Bellefeuille guilty of murder, attempted murder of OPP officers 

Alain Bellefeuille has been found guilty of first-degree murder of an OPP officer, Eric Mueller, and attempted murder of two others in Bourget, Ont.

Alain Bellefeuille has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Eric Mueller and the attempted murder of constables Marc Lauzon and François Gamache-Asselin.

The guilty verdicts were read in court just after 10 a.m. on Saturday. The jury began deliberations on Thursday afternoon.

The officers responded to a wellness check at Bellefeuille’s home in Bourget, Ont. in the middle of the night on May 11, 2023 when they were ambushed and shot seconds upon entering his home.

Mueller was a married father of two young children.

After the verdict the defence asked for each juror to be polled to ensure they each agreed with the verdict.

“These were just good police officers, good guys, using the skills and training to try to do the right thing,” said assistant Crown attorney Louise Tansey.

Bellefeuille was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years for first-degree murder. He was also sentenced to 20 years in prison for each count of attempted murder. The sentences will be served concurrently.

He will also have to provide a DNA sample, will be banned from having firearms and weapons for life and is ordered not to communicate with several people, including members of the officer’s families.

“It is the cruelest irony that the victims of these offences were there to offer their assistance. These officers and those who came to their assistance were there doing what they’re expected to do — protect us all, without protection themselves in the circumstances of this case,” Superior Court Justice Robert Pelletier told the court during sentencing.

“How do you explain a world where this kind of evil exists?” sister says

Bellefeuille sat expressionless in the prisoner’s box as victim impact statements were read in court.

Mueller’s sister Kathy turned to look at Bellefeuille and spoke directly to him.

“That night you, you Mr. Bellefeuille, you didn’t just take a police officer. You destroyed a future. You shattered a family. You devastated a community, and you stole my remember when’s,” she said.

Kathy Mueller said going through the trial felt like a second funeral—a long and painful one.

“Today, in this courtroom, we bury the unknowns we have carried for two years and replace them with a horror story we never wanted to hear,” she said.

“We will never accept, Mr. Bellefeuille, how Eric’s life was taken and we will carry that pain forever. It’s heavy, it’s constant and it’s at times unbearable, but even so, we will carry his memory.”

She said for her brother, fatherhood fulfilled him.

“His children will grow up without Eric’s signature bear hugs, his contagious laughter, his steady, reassuring voice. They will grow up without the man who was supposed to always be in their corner.”

Mueller’s wife and his mother, along with Lauzon’s wife, read victim impact statements in French.

“When I was younger, I had the chance to spend several summers camping here in L’Orignal, and I would have never in my worst nightmares imagined making this kind of declaration under these circumstances,” said Mueller’s wife Marie-France Ethier.

“But here I am in this room today.”

Ethier said she was also there to speak on behalf of their two children, Hugo and Jasmine, “to claim their rights as innocent victims of this act of violence.”

“What is clear is his death has opened a hole in our lives that we will never be able to heal.”

Mueller’s mother, Ginnette Mueller, recalled the evening her son was killed, saying she began to feel a deep sense of worry that her son was still in Bourget after checking his location on her phone.

“The time passes and each time I check, my phone shows me that he’s still there. I really started to worry, probably my mother’s intuition. Something has happened to Eric… I could feel it and I wasn’t able to go back to sleep,” she said.

She remembered when officers arrived at her door in the morning to tell her Eric had died. The officers then accompanied her to the hospital to see his body.

“I see my son lifeless, almost unrecognizable. I wished that my love for him would give him life again… but Eric was no longer… I embraced him, his cold body tore me into pieces that to this day do not reconnect.”

Lauzon’s wife Patricia spoke about the panic and shock she felt when police came to her door telling her that her husband had been shot several times, recalling the chaos at the hospital and how close they came to losing him.

She said Lauzon is passionate about policing, kind-hearted and compassionate. She said family is always his priority.

“Know that your game, your thoughtless actions, your lies and our words will haunt you for the rest of your days. For our part, we’re coming through this trial stronger than you think, and know that no one can destroy us. We are warriors armed with love and positive strength,” she said in French.

Bellefeuille declined to address the court when given the opportunity. His lawyers also declined comment following the verdict.

OPP: Mueller’s legacy ‘continues on’

“For nearly nine weeks, the emotional testimonies and public release of body worn camera footage have significantly intensified the emotional impact we have all felt since that heartbreaking day in 2023. It has been especially difficult for Sgt. Eric Mueller’s family, our two wounded officers, our OPP members and their loved ones,” OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said in a statement on behalf of the OPP, the Mueller family and Ontario Provincial Police Association.

“Today’s verdict reinforces our focus on what Sgt. Mueller stood for - an unwavering commitment to the community and to the safety and protection of others. It also acknowledges the life-changing impact felt by Provincial Constables Marc Lauzon and François Gamache-Asselin, who exhibited the highest standard of bravery in the face of life-threatening and life-altering danger​," the statement reads.

“Sgt. Mueller was a dedicated officer who served the people of Ontario for 21 years. His legacy and the impact he had on his community continues on.”

Bellefeuille admitted he fired the shots that killed Mueller and wounded constables Lauzon and Gamache-Asselin. At issue during the trial was whether he knew they were police officers entering his home and his intentions when he fired several rounds from his semi-automatic rifle.

During the trial, that began at the end of March, Bellefeuille took the stand in his own defence and testified that he had been sleeping when he heard banging at the back of his house, saw flashlights shining into this bedroom and thought the officers were intruders. He said he never heard police announce themselves as officers while entering the home.

The Crown argued Bellefeuille was lying in wait and ambushed the officers, firing several shots in rapid succession from a semi-automatic rifle with an illegally modified magazine. From the time the officers entered the unlocked front door, announcing themselves as police to the time shots rang out was 14 seconds.

Bellefeuille admitted he was drinking, listening to loud music and slamming doors in the hours before the shooting—he was angry he was being forced to move out of his home.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Natalie van Rooy