Man charged with killing his mother questions plan to make him fit to stand trial

Emmanuel Gendron-Tardif, the filmmaker charged in January with second-degree murder in the death of his mother, appeared before a Quebec Court judge on Tuesday to question a treatment plan designed to make him fit to stand trial.

On Feb. 28, following a mental health evaluation done at the Philippe Pinel Institute, Gendron-Tardif, 28, was declared unfit to stand trial for the murder of his 61-year-old mother Lysane Gendron. But Judge Suzanne Costom issued an order that the accused remain detained at the institute to undergo treatment to see if his condition can be improved to a point in the future where he can assist his lawyer in a trial.

On Tuesday, Gendron-Tardif appeared before Costom again at the Montreal courthouse. Defence lawyer Mileva Camire said her client had questions about the treatment he is supposed to undergo and wanted to testify in open court about the issue. Both Camire and prosecutor Anne-Andrée Charette asked that the testimony be heard through a closed door hearing, to avoid influencing or tainting a jury pool that might be called to hear the trial in the future. Costom chose instead to place a publication ban on the hearing which allowed several reporters to hear the testimony.

Gendron-Tardif testified for several minutes late Tuesday afternoon before Costom decided she wanted to hear more on the issue. The judge set Thursday as a day to possibly hear from a witness from the Philippe Pinel Institute.

“It will take more information to reach a decision,” the judge said.

Gendron’s body was found inside her son’s apartment on Fullum St. on Jan. 25. She was the deputy director of the city of Laval’s culture, leisure and sports department.

Her son, a film director who studied at Concordia University, according to his page on the IMDB website, was charged with the murder the following day.

pcherry@postmedia.com