Quebec Man Gets New Trial After Serving 33 Years for Four Murders

The federal justice minister has ordered a new trial for a Quebec man based on evidence of a possible miscarriage of justice that sent him to prison for 33 years for four murders.

Minister of Justice Sean Fraser announced the new trial, saying he found reasonable grounds to believe that a miscarriage of justice “likely occurred” in the 1994 conviction of Daniel Jolivet, which sent him to prison for 33 years.

Jolivet, now 69, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the death of two men and two women who were shot in Brossard, Que., in 1992. 

“The decision to order a new trial is not a decision about the guilt or innocence of the applicant,” the Department of Justice said in a July 17 news release, adding that it was “a decision to return the matter to the courts where the new relevant legal issues may be determined according to the law.”

New information had been identified that was not presented in court during Jolivet’s trial and appeal, and a preliminary assessment was made by the Criminal Conviction Review Group, it said. 

Retired Justice Robert M. Mainville was assigned to complete the review of Jolivet’s application, and his findings were sent to Fraser who then ordered the new trial.

“As Minister of Justice, I have the authority under the Criminal Code to order a new trial or appeal when new evidence shows a miscarriage of justice likely occurred,” he said. “My decision does not decide guilt or innocence, as that will rest with the courts.” 

In October 2025, the Quebec Crown prosecutor’s office said new evidence had emerged that was not presented at the time of his 1994 conviction and that he likely did not receive a fair trial. Jolivet was subsequently released on bail in December 2025. However, since the prosecutor’s office does not have the authority to order a retrial, the issue was handed off to the federal justice ministry.

“After more than three decades of waiting, it is imperative that progress be made. The entire Innocence Project Quebec team remains committed to its efforts to secure justice for Daniel Jolivet,” the Innocence Project Quebec, which was handling Jolivet’s defence, said in a post to social media last October. 

Senator Pierre Dalphond described the acknowledgment as “extremely rare,” according to the post.

“For the prosecution, years later, to say the case warrants a new trial and to agree to make that public is unprecedented. … They reviewed the file and found shortcomings serious enough in their internal report to reach that conclusion. It is extremely rare,” he is cited as saying.

If Jolivet receives a full acquittal in the new trial, he would be officially exonerated and permanently secure his freedom—as opposed to being out on bail, as he is currently. Such an outcome would also open the door for significant financial compensation.