The Quebec Crown is asking for a life sentence for a 73-year-old man recently convicted of manslaughter in the death of a woman 30 years ago in Pointe-aux-Trembles. A judge heard sentencing arguments Friday for Serge Audette at the Montreal courthouse. Audette was found guilty in May of manslaughter in the death of Patricia Ferguson, who disappeared in 1996. It was only in 2022 that authorities revisited the case, after Noovo Info made a documentary about Ferguson’s disappearance. Audette, who was her neighbour at that time, has a long criminal history and is a convicted sex offender. He was arrested for Ferguson’s death in 2023. To this day, her body has never been found. Ferguson’s daughter, Sabrina, who was 11 months old when her mother disappeared, made an appearance in court Friday. She gave emotional testimony, explaining how she’d always thought her mother had abandoned her, and that it was her own fault. For nearly 30 years, she lived with that pain, unaware her mother had been killed.Neither the prosecution nor the defence would comment, but the Crown is asking for a life sentence, while the defence is requesting 14 years. The judge is expected to hand down his sentence in early December.
