Guy Turcotte gets July audience for release bid

Guy Turcotte, the ex-cardiologist convicted of killing his two children, has a release audience scheduled for July as he seeks to leave prison this summer. He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 17 years after the deaths of Olivier and Anne-Sophie.

The scheduled audience puts his case back before the Correctional Service of Canada while he remains eligible for conditional release only in 2028. A 2024 report said he was serving his sentence in a minimum-security institution.

Turcotte’s 2009 killings

On February 20, 2009, Turcotte killed his son Olivier, who was 5, and his daughter Anne-Sophie, who was 3. At his second trial in 2015, he was found guilty of second-degree murder. The Quebec Court of Appeal upheld the sentence in 2018.

The case moved through the courts after his first trial ended with a finding that he was not criminally responsible because of mental disorders, and a second trial was ordered. The judge, André Vincent, said, "Leur calvaire aura été de voir leur père, qu’ils aimaient, et qui devait les protéger, les poignarder".

July audience and release limits

The July audience leaves open whether Turcotte is seeking only temporary absences or another form of conditional release. That distinction will shape how the case is handled, because the sentence still places his full release timeline later, with conditional release eligibility set for 2028.

For now, the immediate next step is the audience itself. It is the point at which the correctional process will examine whether his request fits the form of release he is pursuing, and it comes while the sentence remains tied to a life term for the killing of two children.