Montreal police said Giselle Itale Betotti died after being stabbed multiple times Thursday morning. Hosea Amorus Puhya was charged with her death. Police received a 911 call at 8:45 a.m. and responded to the intersection of des Oblats and Wanklyn streets where he found the woman with a stab wound to her upper body. Police say the incident happened in an outdoor parking lot outside an apartment building and that the suspect fled before officers arrived. She was rushed to hospital and was unconscious on arrival, according to Montreal police spokeswoman Caroline Chèvrefils. Police confirmed early Thursday afternoon that the victim died from his injuries. Her death marks Montreal’s 22nd homicide of the year. The assailant fled the scene and was arrested later, according to police. The force says he is known to police and that he and the victim knew each other. So far, police say it’s unclear if the suspect and victim were partners or ex-partners.
FEMICIDES REMAIN AN ISSUE IN QUEBEC
Claudine Thibaudeau is a clinical coordinator at SOS Violence Conjugale, which reported Betondi’s death as the eighth femicide of 2022 and the 11th person to die of domestic violence. From April 2021 to the end of March this year, Thibaudeau said SOS received about 58,000 calls for help, which remains high. “That’s more than double what we were getting five years ago, so there’s still quite a bit of need,” he said. “There needs to be an ongoing effort to raise awareness. And to realize that this is still happening and it’s extremely disturbing to our society that we still have so much intimate partner violence that sometimes it can lead to femicide.” Thibodeau could not speak to Betodi’s case, but said those looking to escape a violent situation should consider a shelter rather than living with a friend, as shelter locations are secret and have safeguards. Additionally, those who believe they may be in a violent situation can complete an anonymous online survey on the SOS website. Thibodeau said that while it’s too early to tell if the increased funding and measures Quebec has taken — such as the marital violence court — have had any effect, the increased attention has created more discussion around the issue, which is a good thing. “What I really think is a good thing that came out of the awareness last year is that people know where to go for help,” Thibaudeau said. “Friends and loved ones are more concerned, and they also come to us for support and to learn how to best support a survivor or someone who is still experiencing violence, so that’s good too. But we have to keep talking about it. We have to to continue raising awareness because we are not done.”
SUPPORT NETWORK
Victims of domestic violence can contact SOSviole conjugale at 1-800-363-9010. Other resources:
