Lennoxville Massacre
Lennoxville Massacre, also known as the Lennoxville Purge, refers to the 1985 murder of 5 Hells Angels North Chapter members from Laval in Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada.
Lennoxville Massacre – Leadup / Motive
The Hells Angels were aiming to have discipline displayed throughout their ranks.
Members of the Hells Angels North Chapter from Laval, a chapter which was founded in 1979, were believed to have been heavy drug users and constantly partying, somewhat unpredictable, making them a liability.
Also a possibly motive was the rumour that money was owed by the Hells Angels Laval and Montreal chapters to West End Gang leader Frank Peter “Dunie” Ryan. After Frank Ryan was killed it is believed that members of the Laval chapter including Yves Trudeau organized a revenge bombing, which was not to the liking of the higher up Hells Angels.
It was decided that an example would be made of the Laval Chapter members.
Lennoxville Massacre – Timeline of Events
Saturday 23 March, 1985 – Members of the Laval chapter are requested to come to the clubhouse in Lennoxville, Quebec. Only 3 members are available to come, so the meeting is postponed until the following day.
Sunday 24 March, 1985 – Five members of the Hells Angels Laval Chapter are summoned to the Hells Angels clubhouse in Lennoxville, Quebec, arriving in the evening of Sunday 24 March, 1985.
It is believed that 41 members of the Hells Angels meet the five Laval Chapter members at the clubhouse.
The five Laval Chapter members are beaten and shot. Over a dozen members are believed to have been involved in the beatings, shootings, the cleanup of the bodies and disposing of evidence.
After having their Hells Angels colors removed the bodies of the five men are wrapped in sleeping bags, cinder blocks are used as weights and they are thrown into the St Lawrence River. Parts of the St Lawrence River have been known as the “Hells Angels Graveyard”.
Sunday 7 April, 1985 – Hells Angels member Michel “Jinx” Genest phones Claude Roy, a Laval Chapter prospect, inviting him to meet him at a motel in St Basile le Grand.
During the meeting Claude Roy is beaten to death by Michel Genest, while Michel Genest is trying to get information out of him. His body wrapped in a sleeping bag and thrown into the St Lawrence River, his body weighed down with cement blocks.
Monday 3 June, 1985 – Police divers recover bodies of the victims from the St Lawrence River.
Lennoxville Massacre – Victims
Five men were killed in the Lennoxville Massacre, all were members of the Hells Angels North Chapter:
- Guy-Louis “Chop” Adam – Hells Angels North Chapter Member. Fought with the attackers and managed to get outside where he was shot 7 times with 3 different guns.
- Jean-Guy “Brutus” Geoffrion – Hells Angels North Chapter Member.
- Jean-Pierre “Matt le Crosseur” Mathieu – Hells Angels North Chapter Member.
- Laurent “L’Anglais” Viau – Hells Angels North Chapter Founder and President. Killed by a shot to the head.
- Michel “Willie” Mayrand – Hells Angels North Chapter Member.
One man was killed in the weeks following the Lennoxville event:
- Claude “Coco” Roy – Hells Angels prospect who was murdered in the weeks following the Lennoxville event, believed to be connected with the Laval Chapter and possibly assisting police with their enquiries.
One of the believed initial targets of the massacre was Yves “Apache” Trudeau, who was a prominent member within the Laval Chapter and a known hitman, later admitting to 43 murders. Luckily for him he had checked into a drug rehabilitation facility shortly before the events of 24 March.
Lennoxville Massacre – Police Informants
Yves Trudeau, one of the initial targets of the massacre who was in a drug rehabilitation facility at the time of the murders, assisted police with their case after he found out that there was a contract put on his head by members within the club. As part of the case he admitted to being involved in 43 murders between September 1970 and July 1985.
Gerry “Le Chat” Coulombe. Gerry Coulombe also assisted police with their case. He was slated to join the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, however after not hearing about his patching for a period of time he begins to believe that he may be next on their target list. He provides police with the information that Réjean Lessard described the murder plans to him while they were in a car together.
Gilles Lechance was present at the Lennoxville event and turns police informant after he is arrested.
Lennoxville Massacre – Charges
Dozens of Hells Angels from Quebec and Nova Scotia are initially charged on 2 October, 1985.
In 1987 David Carroll, Bernard Hebert, Michael Christiansen and Randall Mersereau are acquitted of first degree murder charges.
During the main trial one of the jurors, Juror #8 Mario Hamel, informed the judge that he had been paid $25,000 by a stranger to convince the remaining jury members to acquit the accused. Mario Hamel was dismissed as a juror.
Robert “Tiny” Richard – Robert Richard was acquitted of the first degree murder charges. He was significantly overweight, believed to weigh around 300 pounds, and died from a heart attack in February 1996.
Réjean “Zig Zag” Lessard – Réjean Lessard was the former Hells Angels Montreal President. Sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Luc “Sam” Michaud – Luc Michaud was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Jacques Pelletier – Sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Robert “Snake” Tremblay – Robert Tremblay left to Europe and lived in England before being brought back to stand trial. Sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Michel Genest – Found guilty in a seperate trial for the murder of Claude Roy on 31 October, 1986 and sentenced to life in prison.
Lennoxville Massacre – Prison & Release
2004 – 30 August, 2004. Robert Tremblay is granted full parole.
2005 – 6 May, 2005. Luc Michaud is granted full parole.
2007 – February, 2007. Michel Genest, found guilty of the beating of Claude Roy in the weeks following the Lennoxville event is granted unescorted day release visits from prison.
2010 – 3 March, 2010. Michel Genest is granted full parole.
2010 – 11 August, 2010. Réjean Lessard is granted full parole.
2013 – 6 May, 2013. Jacques Pelletier is granted full parole. He is believed to have been one of the ringleaders in the murders, yet still claims his only role was pointing a gun at a member in order to keep him under control and the burning of a leather jacket owned by one of the victims.
2013 – 21 November, 2013. Police are dispatched to a park to investigate 2 men acting suspiciously. One of the men is Jacques Pelletier, the other a convicted arm robber with connections to the Hells Angels. Jacques Pelletier is returned to prison for associating with known criminals.
Lennoxville Massacre – Aftermath
The Lenoxville Massacre event shook up the biker scene in Canada. It is believed that some members who had previously been considering joining the Hells Angels, as well as former associates of the Laval chapter, decided to form their own new group, which would come to be Rock Machine MC.
Rock Machine would go on to form alliances with the Bandidos MC. Rock Machine MC and Hells Angels MC would later be two of the major players involved in the Quebec Biker War.
Lennoxville Massacre – Books
While there are some books which briefly cover the events of the Lennoxville Massacre, there are none that we could find which are dedicated to the subject.
Instead you may be interested in viewing our list of the best outlaw motorcycle club books if you are after some reading.
Read More
- List of One Percenter Motorcycle Clubs
- List of Outlaw Motorcycle Club Books
- List of Historic Outlaw Biker Events And Massacres
- Bandidos Shedden Massacre
- Waco Biker Shooting
- Hollister Riot
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