Lynne Baudouy knows she’ll never get her son back.
But resenting the teenager who killed him won’t bring him back either, she says.
“If I hold anger and animosity within me, then I can’t heal. I can’t move on. And I’m no use as a parent to my other kids.”
Her son, Lucas Gaudet, was stabbed in February during an altercation outside a high school on Montreal’s West Island.
The 16-year-old died in hospital shortly afterwards.
On Tuesday, the accused, also 16, pleaded guilty to one charge of second-degree murder and one charge of aggravated assault.
His actions would change Baudouy’s life forever — but she doesn’t want revenge.
Instead, she wants change.
“I truly do want this child to rehabilitate himself. To make himself a productive member of society,” she told CTV News.
“He’s still a child.”
The boy was sentenced to three years in youth detention and two in community service.
It’s a decision Baudouy is at peace with.
“I think he’s just another misguided teenager. My gut feeling when they were reading the sentence was to go and give him a hug. He looked scared.”
The Youth Protection Act prohibits the publication of any details that might identify the convicted.
RISE IN TEEN VIOLENCE
Quebec has witnessed a surge in youth violence over the past year, with Gaudet counted among its victims.
Lucas Gaudet was just 16 years old when he was stabbed during a conflict with numerous teenage boys. That list also includes Amir Benayad, 17, who was shot to death in the Plateau neighbourhood in January; Jannai Dopwell Bailey, 16, who was stabbed and killed last October; Thomas Trudel, 16, who was killed in November and Meriem Boundaoui, 15, who was shot in a drive-by in February 2021.
Their deaths have sparked calls for change from youth and adults alike, including Badouy.
In March, she participated in a demonstration honouring the victims and calling for more youth support.
“I wouldn’t wish it on any parent to have to lose their child in such a violent, tragic way,” she said at the time.
She now hopes that same support can be extended to the boy who killed her son.
“All I know is, this kid needs to be surrounded and supported in order for him to rehabilitate.”
