Crown says accused in Quebec daycare deaths not criminally responsible

LAVAL, Que. – The Quebec Crown says its expert has concluded that the man accused of killing two children and injuring six others when the bus he was driving crashed into a daycare should be found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.

Prosecutor Karine Dalphond told a judge today that the Crown and defence will now present the facts of the case jointly when Pierre Ny St-Amand’s murder trial proceeds.

The development means that instead of the jury trial scheduled to start in April, the evidence will be heard by a judge alone, who will make the final decision on Ny St-Amand’s criminal responsibility.

Ny St-Amand was arrested after a transit bus crashed into the front of a daycare in Laval, Que., on Feb. 8, 2023.

Dalphond said two psychiatrists have examined Ny St-Amand, and both reached the conclusion that he should be found not criminally responsible.

The trial is set to begin April 7 and will include a detailed recounting of the facts and evidence from both experts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2025.

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