Man accused of murdering OPP officer testifies in his own defence

Alain Bellefeuille, the man accused of murdering an OPP officer, testified in his own defence on Thursday. CTV’s Natalie van Rooy reports.

The man accused of murdering an Ontario Provincial Police officer and injuring two others in Bourget, Ont. nearly two years ago told the jury at his murder trial that he didn’t hear police announce themselves inside his home around 2:30 a.m. on May 11, 2023, moments before he fired several shots at them through his bedroom wall, just steps away.

Alain Bellefeuille took the stand in his own defence Thursday.

He admits to killing OPP Sgt. Eric Mueller, and injuring constables Marc Lauzon and François Gamache-Asselin. The officers had been sent to do a wellness check on Bellefeuille after his neighbour called 911 after hearing a gunshot, worried Bellefeuille had shot himself.

Part of what the jury will have to decide is whether Bellefeuille knew he was shooting at police and intended to kill them or if it was self-defence. Bellefeuille has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Bellefeuille is testifying in French. He told the court he was “very nervous and anxious” when asked how he was feeling Thursday by one of his lawyers, Biagio Del Greco, saying he’s been incarcerated for awhile and not used to being in front of a lot of people.

Feared an intruder

Bellefeuille testified when he heard banging at his back door in the middle of the night and saw flashlights, “immediately I think it’s an intruder trying to knock down my rear door.”

After the shooting, he told the court, “I don’t understand what happened. The why, the how. I can’t register what happened with a cop here.”

When asked why he leaned over Mueller and said, “you f—ed with the wrong motherf—er” Bellefeuille replied, “it’s an expression that came without thinking.”

Bellefeuille said he tried to disarm Mueller but realized his firearm was still holstered and left it there.

Court earlier saw footage of Bellefeuille ripping Mueller’s body-warn camera off him.

“I don’t know why I took the camera off. I can’t tell you, I’m not sure,” he said.

Bellefeuille said he felt he might be in danger so fired additional gunshots at the police cruisers outside. He said he shot in the direction of a spotlight but couldn’t see, saying he understands in retrospect the vehicles would’ve been police cruisers.

“In this moment I definitely feel my actions were not appropriate … because once again I have major respect for police officers, and I don’t know what happened other than it was an impulse.”

Bellefeuille got emotional at times on the stand when he was asked if he remembered saying, “hang in there, buddy,” and “don’t die, buddy.” He testified he was trying to encourage Mueller while paramedics tried to save his life.

“Because I didn’t want him to die.”

The day before the shooting

Bellefeuille told the jury he’d worked as a contractor—doing everything from painting and drywall to plumbing and flooring.

“I built up a good reputation for my work.”

On May 10, the day before the shooting, Bellefeuille testified he woke up at 6 a.m. and went to work at a job in Orléans until 4 p.m.

Afterwards, he went to Home Depot to try and buy flooring for his camper but didn’t find what he was looking for. He cashed a cheque at the Money Mart on Merivale Road and then went to Lowes on Hunt Club, he said.

Bellefeuille testified he stopped for gas in Vars and bought several cans of Jack Daniel’s Coca-Cola.

He also dropped off the flooring he’d purchased at the camper that was parked on a friend’s property then had a drink or two with the friend.

The night before the shooting

Bellefeuille says he returned to his home around 9 or 9:30 p.m., where he continued drinking cans of Jack and Coke.

Del Greco asked how many cans he’d consumed.

“I’d say about 10,” Bellefeuille replied.

“Is that a normal amount for you?” Del Greco asked.

“In general, I’d say yes.”

Bellefeuille was asked to describe his level of intoxication.

“Seven out of 10, roughly,” he replied.

“How does it affect you?” Del Greco asked.

“Not much.”

Bellefeuille said he’d rented the home on Laval Street where the shooting happened for about five to six years, and he was in the process of moving out.

After returning home, he said he was checking e-mails on his phone and prepping things for his move. He was listening to heavy rock and country music on his DeWalt radio.

Bellefeuille said it was a normal day with the only difference being that he was in the midst of moving. Because he was so busy with work and preparing to move, he was only getting about four to five hours of sleep a night, he told the jury.

Bellefeuille said around 2 a.m. he realized it was getting late and fell asleep right away in his work clothes.

“I was very tired; I just passed out.”

His work attire included paint-splattered pants with knee pads, a hat and steel-toed boots.

Del Greco asked Bellefeuille if it was normal for him to go to bed dressed.

He said “it happens pretty often. Usually, it’s because I’ve been drinking and I’m tired.”

Bellefeuille said he was in a deep sleep and hadn’t been sleeping for very long when he woke up to his dog barking, the sound of banging at the back door, and he saw what looked like a flashlight outside.

Grew up around firearms

Bellefeuille said guns were part of his life growing up—his dad and uncles were hunters. He had a firearms licence and said he used them for hunting and sport shooting.

He kept his SKS semi-automatic rifle at the foot of his bed “strictly for my protection and protection of that house.”

Despite that going against firearms storage rules, Bellefeuille said he took the risk, knowing he lived alone in the country.

He said his friends had been the victims of a home invasion and he himself had been robbed several times in the past.

Earlier this week, firearms expert Toni Brinck from the Centre for Forensic Sciences testified that that Bellefeuille’s long gun was equipped with a scope, after-market rails, adjustable stock and a muzzle attachment.

Body-warn camera footage previously shown in court shows Bellefeuille rapidly fired nine shots. Legal magazines contain five rounds.

Brinck testified that some of the magazines found in Bellefeuille’s house had been modified to hold 22 rounds instead of five and were therefore illegal.

On Thursday, Bellefeuille testified that he modified the magazines for easy to access to bullets “given that when you’re in an emergency situation … like when someone comes into your home there’s no time to reload … that’s why I modified the magazine.”

Bellefeuille testified that the scope attached to the rifle was able to magnify objects three to 12 times and illuminate the crosshair but not the background.

Court saw photos of a night vision scope out of its storage bag on a table in the kitchen area. Bellefeuille testified it hadn’t been put on the rifle.

Bellefeuille told the jury he kept a rifle with such high power because it “potentially could scare someone, it can make a big enough bang.”

He said he had more than $10,000 in cash in his home and hid his wallet somewhere different every night before bed.

Cross-examination is expected to begin Friday.