Jury chosen for murder trial of Quebecer charged in 2012 election-night shooting

MONTREAL – The jury has been selected at the murder trial of the man accused in the deadly 2012 shooting at Parti Quebecois election headquarters.

Seven more people were picked today for Richard Henry Bain’s trial to go along with the seven chosen Monday.

While the 14 will hear the testimony, only 12 of the jurors will end up deliberating Bain’s fate.

The trial will begin Thursday.

Bain, 65, is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of lighting technician Denis Blanchette outside a nightclub on Sept. 4, 2012, as then-PQ leader Pauline Marois was toasting her party’s election win.

He also faces various charges of attempted murder as well as fire-related counts and has pleaded not guilty to all of them.

About 50 witnesses will testify at the trial, which is expected to last up to two months.

One of those scheduled to take the stand is Dave Courage, a stagehand who was wounded by a bullet that night. One of the charges of attempted murder against Bain stems from that shooting.

The trial has been delayed numerous times, most recently in May for Bain to undergo surgery, but Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer was informed last week the accused is ready to proceed.

Cournoyer is the judge who oversaw the high-profile first-degree murder trial of Luka Rocco Magnotta, who was found guilty by a jury in 2014 in the killing and dismemberment of Chinese student Jun Lin.