A coroner has determined that an 80-year-old man who died on Friday did so as a result of the injuries he suffered when he was attacked more than a month ago in the Ville-Marie borough.
Montreal police spokesperson Andrée-Anne Picard said homicide investigators will meet with prosecutors to determine what should happen to the charges Jean Bourbonnais, 41, already faces in the Oct. 10 attack on Rainer Franz. The elderly man was found lying on a sidewalk on Hope Ave., near Hector (Toe) Blake Place and the corner of René-Lévesque Blvd. W.
Franz was in critical condition when he was taken to a hospital that evening. He remained hospitalized until he died late last week. Picard said an autopsy that was completed on Monday confirmed Franz died as a result of the injuries he suffered in the attack.
Bourbonnais, who is still detained, was arrested a few days after Franz was attacked. On Oct. 16, he was charged with assault, aggravated assault and attempted murder. All three of the charges involved the attack on Franz.
According to court records, on the following day, a Quebec Court judge ordered that Bourbonnais be sent to the Philippe Pinel Institute to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he was suffering from a mental illness when Franz was attacked. The case returns to court later this month.
The homicide is the 26th reported on the territory covered by the Montreal police so far this year.