16th Update on 2 Boys and A Python

This news article from the Times and Transcript newspaper(based in Moncton,New Brunswick,Canada) came out today.

The article is titled “Accused in python deaths case appears in court” –written by Tim Jaques of The Tribune from Campbellton,New Brunswick,Canada.

Jean-Claude Savoie, accused of criminal negligence causing the death of two Campbellton boys in 2013,appeared in the court of Queen’s Bench in Campbellton on Thurs day to listen to a pretrial motion in the case brought against him.

Arguing the motion before Justice Frederick P. Ferguson were his lawyers,Les Matchim and Mikael Bernard, and Crown prosecutor Pierre F. Roussel.

The motion,however,is subject to a sweeping pretrial publication ban that forbids publication not only of any mention of what evidence was tendered and what was argued, but also what the motion is for and any reasons for the judge’s decision, prior to the conclusion of the case.

Information released to the media by RCMP immediately after the deaths alleged that a 45-kilogram African rock python escaped an enclosure in Savoie’s apartment in Campbellton during the early morning hours of August 5,2013. Connor,6, and Noah,4, were in the apartment on  a sleepover visiting Savoie’s son.

RCMP said at the time that they believe the snake asphyxiated the boys as they slept.

Savoie owned an exotic pets business downstairs from the apartment,called Reptile Ocean,which did not reopen after the incident.

The Department of Natural Resources with the assistance of outside experts seized animals,mostly reptiles,from the scene.

Savoie,who is living in the Montreal area,had not been present at previous court hearings.

He sported long hair and a short beard,wore a blue shirt and jeans,and appeared to be listening attentively from his front row seat. He entered and left on the lobby elevator with his lawyers,whose office is in the courthouse building.

The boys’ parents, Mandy Trecartin and Andrew Barthe,were not present,but their grandparents,Ernest and Linda Barthe,listened from a second-row seat.

The motion did not conclude on Thursday as scheduled,and will resume Friday at 1:30 pm. it is likely that Justice Ferguson will reserve any decision.

The case is scheduled for a judge-and-jury trial from Oct. 31 to Nov. 10.

More news updates to follow once available.

Josie

 

 

 

15th Update on 2 Boys and A Python

This news article from the Times and Transcript newspaper(based in Moncton,New Brunswick,Canada) came out today.

The article is titled “Motion in  Barthe deaths case next Thursday” written by Tim Jaques of The Tribune from Campbellton ,New Brunswick, Canada.

A pre-trial motion will be heard next week in the case of 39 y/o Jean-Claude Savoie ,charged with criminal negligence causing the 2013 deaths of Noah and Connor Barthe of Campbellton.

Accdg. to the current court docket,the defence motion,which had been originally been scheduled for several days,is now set for only one day,Thursday,April 28, in the Court of Queen’s Bench in Campbellton starting at 9:30 am,before Justice Frederick P. Ferguson.

Savoie’s lawyer,Les Matchim of Campbellton,has declined to speak to the nature of the motion because of a pre-trial publication ban in effect governing the evidence that will be used on the motion. However, the motion hearing itself is open to the public.

Scheduled to appear for the crown is Pierre F. Roussel.

In January,the dates for the trial had been set for Sept. 12 to 23,but the RCMP announced in a press release on Feb. 15 that in order to accommodate witnesses the date for the judge-and-jury trial was been put over to run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 11.

Savoie,who has not been present for previous court hearings and is not expected to be present on Thursday,was charged in March 2015. Information given to the media by RCMP immediately after the deaths alleged that a 45-kg African rock python escaped an enclosure in Savoie’s apartment during the early morning hours of Aug. 5,2013. Connor,6, and Noah,4, were in the apartment on a sleep over visiting Savoie’s son, and it was alleged that the snake asphyxiated the boys as they slept.

The apartment was situated above his Campbellton exotic pet business,Reptile Ocean,which has since closed. The exotic animals in the store and apartment,which were mainly reptiles,were seized by the dept. of National resources with the assistance of outside experts including Bruce Dougan of the Magnetic Hill Zoo in  Moncton..

Most of the creatures were parcelled out to zoos across North America,and the Magnetic Hill Zoo got two large Sulcata or African spurred tortoises. However 4 large alligators kept in the building’s basement had to be euthanized,as no zoo would take them.

The building remains vacant.

The unusual facts surrounding the deaths drew considerable international media attention to Campbellton in the weeks following the discovery of the boys’ bodies.

 

More news updates to follow once available.

Josie

 

 

14th Update on 2 Boys and a Python

This news article from the Times and Transcript newspaper(based in Moncton,New Brunswick ,Canada came out today:

The trial for a man charged after a snake he owned killed two boys in Campbellton in 2013 has been pushed into the fall.

Jean-Claude Savoie,39,formerly of Campbellton but currently living in Montreal, was charged in March 2015 with criminal negligence causing death after a  lengthy investigation.

The charge was laid in relation to the death of two young boys at his home,who were having a sleepover with Savoie’s son.

On Aug. 5,2013, a 45-kilogram African rock python escaped an enclosure in Savoie’s apartment, situated above his exotic  pet business,Reptile Ocean. RCMP say autopsies determined that four-year-old Noah Barthe and his six-year-old brother Connor died as the result of being asphyxiated by the snake while sleeping in the apartment.

Savoie elected trial by judge and jury and the trial was set to take place Sept. 12 to 23.

The New Brunswick RCMP announced in a news release on Monday that the court has changed those dates. In order to accomodate witnesses who will be called to testify, the trial will now take place from Oct. 31 to Nov. 11.

 

I will keep you guys posted of any further developments regarding this.

Josie

 

13th Update on 2 Boys and a Python

Today, an article from Trevor McNally of the Campbellton Tribune came out.It stated that a trial date was set in the deaths of 2 Campbellton ,New Brunswick boys(Noah and Connor Barthe) who both died from asphyxiation from a 45 kg African rock python ( which escaped an enclosure in his apartment located on top of his shop called Reptile Ocean) on Aug. 5,2013.

The reptile shop owner  Jean-Claude Savoie who was charged in March 2015 with criminal negligence causing death wasn’t present today and instead, on his behalf , Mikael Bernard and  lawyer Les Matchim were both in court today.

Crown Prosecutor Francois Doucet and Bernard both agreed that a hearing was needed for a pretrial conference which was then set for next month  on Feb. 12 by Justice Larry Landry.

Preliminary pretrial motions were arranged and set for April 26 and 27. By that time, Savoie is expected to be available for the hearing and not necessarily though for a court appearance.

Josie

12th Update on 2 Boys and a Python

From a previous news article dated on Nov. 25,2015, the scheduled preliminary hearing began on Nov. 24,2015 in the Campbellton Provincial Court for Jean-Claude Savoie being charged with criminal negligence in the case of an African rock python weighing 45 kg  (under his care in the reptile shop –Reptile Ocean which he previously owned) which asphyxiated the 2 boys Connor(6 yo) and Noah Barthe(4 y/0) on Aug. 5,2013 after escaping from its enclosure.

Mr. Savoie ,38 y/0, who’s now living in Montreal,Quebec had earlier chosen to be tried by judge and jury in New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench and won’t enter a  plea to the charge until and unless he’s committed to trial ff. this hearing.

Subsequent news reports stated that the presiding judge—Judge Brigitte Sivret ruled that a trial should go ahead. More details to follow once I do get pertinent info regarding this matter.

Quoting the L’ETOILE article by Michel Gourd, the events that prompted such a legal case involved the ff:

“The boys were killed while they were sleeping at their friend’s place next door to their family home. Earlier,they had spent the day with Savoie’s son, at the Savoie family farm.

Police said at the time that they believed the African rock python that was in an enclosure in the apartment found an opening through the ceiling,made its way to another part of the apartment and fell through the ceiling onto the floor near where the boys were sleeping together on the floor.

The snake then asphyxiated the boys.”

 

Josie

6th Update on 2 Boys and a Python

Just a few days ago, it was reported that Jean Claude Savoie ,the reptile shop owner will eventually return to Campbellton,New Brunswick from Montreal,Quebec to face charges(possibly at least negligent in nature) pertaining to the deaths of the 2 young brothers Connor and Noah Barthe due to strangulation from an African rock python .  Expected date of appearance at Campbellton  Regional Court will be on April 27,2015.

Details to follow once available.

 

Josie

Update on the Campbellton Python Incident

This is a follow-up to my previous blog–Aug. 10,2013 regarding 2 little boys and a python. Obviously, the death of the 2 boys from the hands of the python had become a watershed event regarding animal rights, the right to possess exotic animals and the strengthening of legislature regarding the acquisition,care and maintenance of exotic animals by people with the appropriate credentials and abilities to do so.

A few incidents here in Canada ,particularly in British Columbia and Ontario had revealed the hypervigilance and subsequent reporting  by local citizens with regards to pythons whether such animals were on the loose or illegally detained in unnatural surroundings. On top of that, the police authorities responded very quickly to check on the citizens’ reporting of such python sightings as well as involving zoologists,especially reptile specialists in such situations.

Pet stores and reptile emporiums also are now pressing their local Dept. of Natural Resources regarding the proper procedure to get a license/permit so as to validate their possession of exotic animals.

Local politicians are now reviewing their current by-laws,provincial laws and federal laws if any, to see if any amendments need to be done.

At this time, the Campbellton police in northern New Brunswick are still awaiting the final autopsy on the 2 little boys which may become available sometime next month . When that happens, depending on the findings, formal criminal changes will be determined and if needed on the owner of Reptile Ocean, the scene of the python attack on the 2 little boys–Connor and Noah Barthe.

So far, the owner Jean-Claude Savoie hasn’t said anything further in public upon the advise from his lawyer.

The Campbellton Dept. of Natural Resources had publicly insisted that they had never issued a permit to Mr. Savoie since the python,an African Rock type was a banned specie in New Brunswick province. The agency also claimed that they were never aware of the existence of such a python on their locality.

In the midst of such a tragic event, Connor and Noah’s death will not be in vain  since there’s a new-found awareness regarding exotic animals and how to deal with them appropriately.

Josie

Two Little Boys and A Python

Eversince this past Monday August 5 here in Canada, most Canadian provinces and territories were celebrating their respective civic holidays( as I had last discussed about it on my very last blog) when the unthinkable and horrible had happened.

On that fateful early Monday morning, breaking news came out of the small city of Campbellton,New Brunswick( population : 10,000,near the Quebec border and a 4 hour drive from my place)of 2 little boys apparently strangled in their sleep by an African rock python weighing about 100 lbs and approx. 3-4 meters in height. The boys’ names were Connor Barthe(age 6) and Noah Barthe(age 4).

Initial details as mentioned by the police were that the 2 boys were having a sleepover with the son of a reptile shop owner at the apartment  which was located above the shop called Reptile Ocean. Accdg. to the owner, he woke up early that morning and was going to check on the 2 boys who were both on the other room and upon opening the light, saw in horror the 2 boys now dead with the python nearby.

Further police details reported that apparently the python was in a cage inside that upstairs apartment and not downstairs in the reptile shop. The latch apparently gave way and the python slithered out and went into the ventilation system located above the cage and due to its weight, had fallen through the ceiling into the vicinity where the 2 boys were sleeping.

An autopsy was performed on the 2 boys and preliminary results revealed asphyxiation by the python as cause of death. The python was put to death and a necropsy was performed. A full autopsy report on the 2 boys will be available sometime next month,together with the python. The python upon initial examination appeared healthy.

The police will continue their investigation now deemed as criminal and will decide on further charges depending on the full autopsy report yet to be released. Determining the actual events which led to the boys’ death is high priority.It’ll take a lot of detective work on that for ,considering so many inconsistencies found during the investigation.

For example, there were a lot of inconsistencies in terms of the python’s behavior accdg. to the reptile experts and it appears that the python in question is a banned species in New Brunswick province and that no permit was ever issued by the provincial dept. of natural resources nor was there any awareness on their part that the python was there in that shop in the first place.

The reptile shop now and still deemed at this time as a crime scene had been inspected and 27 banned reptilian species have been uncovered. Arrangements had been made to transfer them to various zoos and certified reptile shops all over Canada  except for 4 crocodiles which had to be put to sleep since no accomodations can be found for them.

This entire episode is tragic ,horrible ,unthinkable yet preventable if precautions were made in terms of laws regarding possession and care of exotic animals. For sure,animal rights groups will have their say too but in the meantime, 2 boys’ lives are now gone and their parents’ anguish is something that was imposed on them and will stay on forever for as long as they live.

I had just watched today, the TV coverage of the funeral mass for the 2 boys both placed inside 1 coffin per parents’ request since both of them had lived and died together,therefore they get to be buried together as well.

For their sake, I hope their deaths had not been in vain and may actual reform in terms of the laws regarding exotic animals be implemented in light of this horrible event.

Exotic animals in my opinion should thrive in their natural habitat and not be in surroundings like a cage since it usurps the ecological balance of life. They act and react by natural animal instinct and we humans should always bear that in mind especially if they’re considering these animals as potential pets.

I just hope that the boys weren’t aware of what had actually happened to them that is, they died while asleep.

The ongoing onslaught of news coverage both local,national and international had besieged the city of Campbellton beyond the local residents’ imagination. Hopefully, their regular pace of life should return soon though I strongly believe that it’ll never be the same again for them  after this python incident.

My heart goes out to the parents. If it’s any consolation for them, it’s to see how so many people empathizes their situation right now and giving their all-out moral support to help them through this.

2013 may be the year of the snake accdg to  the Chinese lunar calendar but what a tragic irony that it had happened at this very moment in Campbellton,New Brunswick, Canada.

To Connor and Noah, may you  both enjoy your new life in Heaven ! I’m pretty sure that both of your parents will be looking forward to seeing you all someday once their time in this world is over.

Au revoir!

Josie