Turcotte's release reason for new law, says minister

A new law introduced by the federal government could make mentally ill defendants remain in custody for a longer time.

According to CBC News, Federal Heritage Minister James Moore and Conservative senator Pierre-Hughes Boisvenu said that the legislation could be adopted in 2013.

This suggestion comes on the heels of former doctor Guy Turcotte being released from the Pinel institute. The Quebec Mental Health Assessment Commission said that Turcotte has made enough progress to secure his release.

Turcotte ex-wife, Isabelle Gaston,has expressed her fear upon hearing the news. He must stay at least five-hundred metres away from her at all times. Failure to comply with the sentence could land Turcotte in prison.

Guy Turcotte killed his two children in February two-thousand-nine and then tried to kill himself. He avoided prison time when a jury found he wasn’t criminally responsible for the murders.