West Nipissing man admits to killing long-time friend with rifle

West Nipissing's Marc Larabie pleads guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting death of his longtime friend, Joseph Generoux, following a 2024 argument.

The man charged with shooting and killing a 53-year-old West Nipissing man with a rifle in the late afternoon in March 2024 pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Friday morning in a North Bay courtroom.

Marc Larabie stood and folded his arms across his chest, acknowledging his actions and waiving his right to a trial for killing Joseph Généreux.

Généreux’s family sobbed in the courtroom as Larabie spoke.

Larabie admitted to shooting Généreux just after 5 p.m. on March 13, 2024, at his camper trailer on Bradley Street in River Valley following an argument.

An agreed statement of facts between Crown prosecutor Marney Mazurski and Larabie’s lawyer, Daniel Baker, was read out in court.

Généreux and Larabie, who was 48 years old at the time, were long-time friends. Larabie had been living in campers and trailers, modifying them to become a year-round home.

When Ontario Provincial Police officers arrived on scene about 20 minutes after the 911 call came in, Larabie put his hands up in the air, uttering that he shot Généreux in self-defence.

Police took him into custody and placed him in the back of a cruiser.

Attempts to revive Généreux’s motionless body, which was still warm to the touch, were unsuccessful.

Larabie was overheard on the police’s in-car camera asking if Généreux was still breathing and later broke down in tears while on his way to the police station.

The investigation determined Larabie fired a single gunshot at a minimum of 36 inches away from Généreux and the bullet hit his heart.

His body was found 15 feet away from the home in the porch area on the driveway. One witness told investigators he saw Larabie poking the body with a rifle.

Police found a .22 caliber Cooey rifle dismantled and hidden in the nearby snowy bushes beside a guitar case that had other guns inside it.

Had become ‘paranoid’

The investigation determined it was the rifle used in the shooting.

Gina Brosseau, another friend of Larabie and a witness, told police that Larabie had become “overconcerned” about who he became friends with and that he was becoming “paranoid.”

The court heard that after he shot Généreux, Larabie called his father in the United States. He also called Brosseau, telling her what happened.

Brosseau told investigators she believed the reason he called her was because she had CPR training. She arrived at the crime scene and immediately called 911.

The Crown withdrew Larabie’s second charge, unauthorized possession of a firearm.

Superior Court Justice Greg Ellies set a date of March 27 as the next court date to set a day for sentencing.

Second-degree murder convictions carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison, with parole eligibility between 10 and 25 years.

Neither Baker nor Généreux’s loved ones in attendance wanted to speak to the media after Larabie’s plea.