Gatineau Neighbourhood Watch: Murder, Drugs

A man faces murder charges after an Ottawa man was stabbed to death Wednesday afternoon in Gatineau's Hull sector.

Denis St. Jacques, 35, of Ottawa died in hospital after going into cardiac arrest following a stabbing just before noon in an apartment at 70 Garneau St. It was the city's first murder of the year.

More than two hours later, police raided an apartment on 576 Cité-Des-Jeunes Boulevard and took Christian Bourbonniere into custody.

Bourbonniere, 53, faces charges of second-degree murder in the death of St. Jacques. Bourbonniere recently arrived in Gatineau from Montreal, but police say he has no fixed address.

Lieut. Yves Martel said police have several good leads, but are still searching for people who may have witnessed the stabbing.

Some neighbours say the quiet, working-class neighbourhood near Garneau Street has recently become a hub for drug dealing and a dangerous place to live.

"It's the last six months that, you know, since the drug dealers moved in on the street, that you're afraid to stay home at night," said neighbour Louise Blondin, who has lived there for six years.

"You sleep with a baseball bat by your bed, you get waken up two, three o'clock in the morning by people looking for a fix. It's scary, very scary."

Martel says the murder may have been drug-related.

Police have received several complaints about drug-related incidents on Garneau Street, but wouldn't give details.

Bourbonniere appeared in a Gatineau court Thursday. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Feb. 15.