Two men have pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with a fire in an Old Montreal building that killed a mother and daughter from France two years ago. Léonor Geraudie, 43, and her seven-year-old daughter, Vérane Reynaud-Geraudie were killed on Oct. 5, 2024 when a fire tore through a 160-year-old building at the corner of Notre-Dame Street East and Bonsecours Street in the city’s historic district. A spokesperson for the Crown prosecution confirmed to CTV News that the two men accused of setting the fire, Justin Fortier-Trahan, 21, and Juventino Hernandez Pelaez, 20, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to manslaughter. Both had been charged with second-degree murder and arson. In addition to the deaths of the two French nationals, the early-morning blaze injured three other people. The fire erupted on the ground floor of the building and spread to the upper two levels, which housed a hostel. Police said 25 people were in the building at the time. Hours after the fire, surveillance video surfaced showing a person dressed in black clothing appearing to break into the building. The video shows the individual kicking down the door at the front entrance and then leaving moments later as smoke appears to come out of the entrance. The person then flees on foot. After their arrest, Cmdr. Jean-Sébastien Caron said at a news conference that one was suspected of using “an incendiary object” to set fire to the building, while the second is accused of driving a getaway vehicle. City records show the Old Montreal building belongs to Emile Benamor, who also owns another building in the neighbourhood that caught fire in March 2023 when seven people died. - With files from The Canadian Press
