Roch Theriault

Case record: Roch Thériault

Background

Roch “Moïse” Thériault (born May 16, 1947) was the charismatic former leader of a small religious group based near Burnt River, Ontario, Canada. Between 1977 and 1989 he held sway over as many as 12 adults and 26 children.

He was arrested for assault in 1989, and convicted of murder in 1993. He was serving a life sentence and was denied parole in 2002. He used all of the nine women as concubines, and probably fathered most of the children in the group.

During his reign, Thériault mutilated several members. He once used a meat cleaver to chop off the hand and part of the arm of Gabrielle Lavallée, one of his concubines. He removed 8 of her teeth. Thériault was accused of castrating a 2-year-old boy, as well as one adult man. His major crime was to kill Solange Boilard, his legal wife, by disembowelment while trying to perform surgery on her.

The group based its practices primarily on religious themes, including women’s obedience to men, polygamy, harsh punishments, the righteousness of the leader, and the sinfulness of the followers, along with “living miracles.” Thériault was called “father (papy)” and re-christened all members with biblical names. He claimed to be a reincarnation of the prophet Moses and demanded respect appropriate for such a figure. Based on the testimony of former cult members, he was probably delusional and may have actually believed he could do miracles.

He was described as charming to young women and a good speaker. He was able to persuade his followers to sell their belongings, sever ties with their families, and move to a commune near Burnt River, about 100 km northeast of Toronto. He convinced the women that all of them were his wives and that they should bear him children.

Even while he was in prison, three of his wives continued conjugal visits and two of the three bore him more children.

During his reign, Thériault also attempted to resurrect a woman he had killed. He sawed the top off her corpse’s skull and masturbated into the cavity.

The offence

Thériault killed Solange Boilard, his legal wife, by disembowelment while trying to perform surgery on her.

He mutilated Gabrielle Lavallée. He used a dull meat cleaver to amputate Gabrielle Lavallée’s arm completely off.

He also mutilated Claude Ouellette. He cut open Claude’s scrotum and plucked out an infected testicle with his fingers, then cauterized the wound with a hot piece of iron. He then ordered a vote on whether Claude should be stoned to death for offending God, and when a motion was defeated he threatened to open Claude’s stomach with an acetylene torch.

He assaulted and mutilated Guy Veer. After a vote by members of the group, Thériault proceeded with a castration operation; Guy Veer later escaped to the village of Saint-Jogues.

He sexually abused and inflicted severe harm on children in the group, including Samuel Giguère.

He injured and killed Samuel Giguère. Thériault organized a party on March 23, 1980 when his sons Roch Jr and François were coming to live with him. There were two versions of what happened that night. Under the “official version” accepted by the courts, Veer was alleged to have plunged his fist into Samuel’s face five or six times, and later Thériault placed Samuel under the care of Gabrielle. The account accepted by the courts described lancing Samuel’s penis with sterilized scissors to permit urine to flow out; the next morning Samuel was found dead. Under another version attributed to Solange (Gisèle’s account), Thériault performed a circumcision after bruising was seen on the morning of the 24th of March and ethanol was used as an anaesthetic, which allegedly could have caused Samuel’s death by alcohol poisoning.

A coroner determined that the group was criminally responsible for Samuel Giguère’s death.

He also mutilated and harmed other people in the group, including:

• Maryse Grenier, whom he struck and later subjected to threats and punishment.
• Gisèle, after throwing a hunting knife at her in February 1987 and later operating on her leg with red-hot implements and boiling water.
• Solange Boilard, whose death was followed by attempts to rebirth her via “reverse birth,” including inserting and tearing tissues, exhuming her body, pouring vinegar on internal organs, drilling a hole in her skull, and masturbating into the hole.
• Gabrielle Lavallée, after the amputation, when he also cut out infection with scissors, removed part of her breast, and whacked her with an axe; later he used a red-hot metal piece pressed against her stump.

Investigation

After police surveillance and investigations into reports of abuse of women and children, police were involved in disrupting the group and related deaths.

Regarding the death of Samuel Giguère, the police found Veer’s letter of “consent” to the castration operation and ballots used for the vote.

After the amputation of Gabrielle Lavallée’s arm, the police were called, and a constable filed a charge of aggravated assault against Rock Thériault.

The police also made charges after the coroner determined the group was criminally responsible for the death of Samuel Giguère.

Arrest

Thériault was arrested in 1989 on an aggravated assault charge connected to Gabrielle Lavallée’s arm amputation. When police arrived on August 19 with a warrant for his arrest, the compound was deserted. Thériault and several followers fled to Québec, and it took the police six weeks to find Thériault.

He was arrested for obstruction of justice at an earlier time after police officers arrived by helicopter and he was ordered to undergo psychological evaluation. He was released after being judged fit to stand trial for obstruction of justice and was given a one-year suspended sentence.

Trial

Charges relating to Samuel Giguère

After the coroner determined criminal responsibility for Samuel Giguère’s death, the police charged:

• Roch Thériault, Jacques Giguère, Maryse Grenier, Gabrielle Lavallée, and Guy Veer with criminal negligence causing bodily harm to Samuel Giguère.
• Claude Ouellette (who burned the body) with obstruction of justice.
• Jacques and Maryse with neglect towards their oldest daughter (now five).
• Claude and Solange Boilard with similar charges for their treatment of Simon Ouellette (now three).
• Thériault and Lavallée with bodily harm with intent to mutilate Guy Veer.

All accused pleaded not guilty.

Jacques, Maryse, Claude, Solange, and Guy Veer were released on their own recognizance on the condition they not return to the cabin. Thériault and Lavallée were denied bail as they were held to be a danger to society.

At the end of the nine-month trial, during which the commune members moved to the town of New Carlisle, where the trial was held, all parties were found guilty of all charges. Maryse and Solange received three years probation. Jacques Giguère and Claude Ouellette received six months in prison and three years probation for child abandonment. Guy Veer was sentenced but later acquitted for mental incompetence and was returned to l’Hôpital Robert Giffard. Gabrielle Lavallée was sentenced to nine months in jail and three years probation. Roch Thériault was sentenced to two years less a day in prison, and three years probation, on each of two charges, to be served concurrently.

Murder conviction and sentencing

Thériault was sentenced to life in prison on January 18, 1993. The sentence followed his guilty plea to second-degree murder in the death of Solange Boislard. The police pressed charges for first degree murder, but the court found insufficient evidence that the murder had been premeditated, leading to a trial commitment for second degree murder. Thériault’s lawyers made a deal that Thériault would plead guilty to second degree murder if no further charges were brought.

Sentencing

On January 18, 1993, Roch Thériault was sentenced to life in prison.

He was eligible for parole in 1999, and he was denied parole in 2002.

Appeals

No appeal outcome was provided.

Outcome

Thériault remained incarcerated following the life sentence and was denied parole in 2002.

In 2002, a three-member National Parole Board panel denied parole on the grounds that he represented an ongoing danger to society. The panel also ordered a series of psychiatric evaluations. Thériault called himself Moses.

At the parole hearing, Gabrielle Lavallée said: “"The population, myself included, will be able to have a long night's sleep tonight," Lavallee, 52, said after the parole hearing. "Sitting behind him (at the hearing) brought back all the memories of the time, when I weighed 80 pounds and had to help the authorities capture him. "I felt a lot of emotion."”

Thériault told the board he wanted to remain behind bars at the Dorchester Penitentiary near Moncton because he feared for his safety outside prison.

Aftermath

After his conviction and imprisonment, his followers continued to support him, including conjugal visits by three wives while he was incarcerated.

In 2002, the film “Savage Messiah” depicted Thériault’s crimes against his followers and the ensuing legal recourse. The film starred Luc Picard as Thériault and Polly Walker as Paula Jackson, the social worker whose investigation revealed the crimes.

One of his former followers, Gabrielle Lavallée, wrote an autobiographic book about the sect titled L’alliance de la brebis (“Alliance of the Sheep”), ISBN 2920176854.

A 1983 publication noted that Thériault began assembling notes for a book, “L’Affaire Moïse,” published in Québec City in November 1983.

Timeline

• May 16, 1947 — Roch “Moïse” Thériault was born.
• 1977 — Thériault held sway over as many as 12 adults and 26 children.
• 1977 — Thériault and his followers attended an Adventist retreat on Lake Rosseau in Muskoka, Ontario, where he met Gabrielle Lavallée and Yolande Guinnebert.
• January 8, 1978 — Gisèle and Thériault were married on January 8, 1978 at an Adventist church in Montréal.
• November 18, 1978 — The Jonestown Massacre occurred; Thériault followed the story with interest.
• July 9, 1978 — The group set out on foot into the hills from the village of Saint-Jogues.
• March 23, 1980 — Thériault organized a party as Roch Jr and François were coming to live with him in the commune.
• February 17, 1984 — Thériault was released.
• October 6, 1989 — Gisèle decided to tell anyone about Solange’s death, on the same day that Rock was apprehended by the police.
• July 26, 1989 — Thériault became drunk and stabbed Gabrielle’s hand with a hunting knife, leading to the amputation later described.
• August 16, 1989 — Gabrielle made it to a hospital and concocted a story to explain the missing arm.
• August 19, 1989 — Police arrived with a warrant for Thériault’s arrest; the compound was deserted and Thériault fled to Québec.
• October 6, 1989 — Gisèle told anyone about Solange’s death.
• January 18, 1993 — Roch Thériault was sentenced to life in prison.
• 2002 — Thériault was denied parole and ordered to undergo a series of psychiatric evaluations.

Other details

Roch Thériault was referred to as “Moses” by himself and “Papy” by the group; his wife Gisèle was called “Mamy.” He re-christened members with biblical names and portrayed himself as the reincarnation of the prophet Moses.

Thériault’s group changed locations, including a move after earlier debts and police surveillance and later a return to a commune near Burnt River in Victoria County, Ontario.

Geraldine Gagné Auclair was admitted to the Healthy Living Clinic in March 1978 and died in the clinic; Thériault told his followers that she had awakened from death and that it was “Geraldine’s time.”

A child in the group was described as having been under care of Thériault after being placed by her parents, and she entered a coma and died shortly thereafter.

Thériault was described as having engaged in multiple punishments and brutal practices inside the communes, including restricting speech, deprivation, and forced participation in harmful acts.