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One man has been found guilty of first-degree murder and another acquitted on all charges in the trial of a 15-year-old girl who was gunned down in Montreal during a drive-by shooting in 2021.
Salim Touaibi, 29, admitted during the trial that he was the one who opened fire during the incident. He was found guilty of first-degree murder of Meriem Boundaoui and four counts of attempted murder.
Another man, Aymane Bouadi, 30, was acquitted on all charges. The jury found Bouadi not guilty of first-degree murder and not guilty of the four counts of attempted murder. He walked out of the Montreal courthouse and reunited with his family, his lawyer told reporters.
The Superior Court trial heard that Boundaoui was sitting in the passenger seat of a Volkswagen Jetta in Montreal’s St-Léonard borough on Feb. 7, 2021, when a white Mercedes with two men inside pulled up. One of those men opened fire, hitting the girl in the head.
The verdict came on the ninth day of deliberation.
After nine days of deliberations, the jury in the trial of Salim Touaibi and Aymane Bouadi reached a decision. Touaibi was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in the death of 15-year-old Meriem Boundaoui, while Bouadi was acquitted on all charges.
Caught in the crossfire
The trial in Quebec Superior Court heard that Boundaoui was caught in the crossfire of a dispute that did not involve her, which arose between two family-owned businesses over parking spots.
The conflict involved one family that owned a barbershop on Jean-Talon Street and another that owned a grocery store across from it. In the months preceding the shooting, the grocery store owners were upset that barbershop clients were using the parking lot belonging to the market.
Touaibi testified that he was the shooter, but he said he didn’t realize Boundaoui or anyone else was in the Jetta when he shot at it. He was aware of the conflict between family businesses, but said his involvement was limited to trying to act as a peacemaker.
His lawyer suggested to the jury that Touaibi had fired toward the Jetta because he was afraid of being shot and wanted to scare others nearby.
Bouadi’s lawyer argued during closing arguments that his client was just a “passive” passenger in the Mercedes who had gone to get food with his friend. He said his client was aware of the conflict between groups but not involved.
“My client is relieved, but the faith he had in our justice system was quite impressive. I never saw him lose heart in recent months, and finally, his faith was rewarded this morning,” Martin Latour, one of Bouadi’s lawyers, told reporters at the courthouse.
“I don’t think there are words that can describe how he feels, he’s already on his way to see his family, he’s been separated from them for years.”
Facing life in prison
Latour said he doesn’t know if the Crown intends to appeal the acquittal, adding that he senses his client is happy to “turn the page.”
The two men were arrested days apart by Montreal police in June 2022. Their trial began in mid-January.
The Crown prosecutors in the case declined to comment on Thursday.
Under Canadian law, a first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
The case returns to court for sentencing on April 2. The judge needs to determine Touaibi’s sentence on the four counts of attempted murder.
The death of the high school student in 2021 prompted calls to stop gun violence. Montreal’s administration and police chief later announced a new police unit targeting gun traffickers in the wake of her death and that of two other teens the same year.
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