Man charged with 1st degree murder after woman found dead in Montréal-Nord
The accused was already facing previous charges of assault
A man is facing first-degree murder charges after the body of a 42-year-old woman was found in a Montreal apartment.
Antoine Coby, 36, appeared at the Montreal courthouse Saturday.
While Montreal police (SPVM) claimed Coby was not known to them, court files from July reveal that he is also facing assault, unlawful confinement and mischief charges in an incident that allegedly happened in May.
The SPVM arrested Coby after Viergemene Toussaint's body was discovered in her home in the city's Montréal-Nord borough Friday evening.
Coby is possibly the victim's ex-spouse. He was arrested Friday evening and transported to the Investigation Centre for questioning.
This is the second time in just over a week Montreal police are investigating the killing of a woman.
According to the police, a friend of the woman was concerned after not hearing from her for some time.
Around 9:30 a.m. Friday, the friend went to her apartment, located on Lacordaire Boulevard, to check on her. That's when she found the body and called 911.
Police said there were signs of violence and an autopsy will be performed in the coming days. The victim was not known to police.
Investigators from the major crimes unit were called to the scene and officers will be going door-to-door gathering information from potential witnesses and any surveillance footage.
Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said the woman's death marks the 24th homicide in Montreal this year.
with files from Rowan Kennedy