Police also arrest dead man's daughter and friend

Kuujjuaq resident charged in uncle's 1987 murder

By JANE GEORGE

KUUJJUAQ – A 20-year Kuujjuaq resident faces charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the 1987 shooting death of his uncle.

Patrice Bernard, 41, appeared at the courthouse in Granby, Quebec, a city about 70 kilometres east of Montreal, on May 22, along with his cousin, Tristan-Anthony Bernard, 41, a female to male transsexual formerly known as Chantal, and a friend, Alain Béliveau, 44.

The three are accused of shooting Alain Bernard, 45, a millionaire businessman in Granby.

Patrice Bernard works at at the Tulattavik Hospital and lives across from the facility in an aging staff housing unit. He was on vacation in Montreal when he was arrested.

He has also worked as manager of the former co-op hotel and for the Kativik Municipal Housing Bureau.

Described by those who know him as an affable "bon vivant," Patrice Bernard was always ready to offer a glass of wine to friends or discuss his most recent trip to Mexico where he spent his holidays and is said to own a property.

Alain Bernard, the father of Tristan-Anthony (then Chantal) and the uncle of Patrice, was shot in the head at his Granby home on Aug. 31, 1987, while he was watching television and working on crossword puzzles.

Another daughter who found Bernard slumped over in his chair at about 3:30 a.m., thought her father had fallen asleep in front of the television, so she went to bed. She didn't realize that Bernard was dead until many hours later.

There was no sign of forced entry into the house, say the Sûrété du Québec provincial police.

According to the Journal de Montréal, Chantal, then 19, was fighting with her father over her drug use and needed money to pay for a drug habit.

The SQ arrested the three accused last week. A tip received in 2002 put the police on the track of the trio, Journal de Montréal reported this past Saturday.

A bail hearing for the three accused is scheduled for June 4.

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