Lennoxville massacre
Encyclopedia
The Lennoxville massacre, or Lennoxville purge, was a mass murder which took place at the Hells Angels
clubhouse in Lennoxville, Quebec
on March 24, 1985. The killings were used to liquidate the Hells Angels North Chapter, founded by Yves "Apache" Trudeau
. This event divided rival outlaw motorcycle gangs in Quebec causing the formation of the Rock Machine
club, a rival to the Hells in the 1990s.
North Chapter members were invited to a meeting at the Sherbrooke Chapter's Lennoxville clubhouse on March 24, 1985. The president of the North Chapter, Laurent "L'Anglais" Viau, and four of its members: Jean-Guy "Brutus" Geoffrion, Jean-Pierre "Matt le Crosseur" Mathieu, Michel "Willie" Mayrand, and Guy-Louis "Chop" Adam attended. When the five Laval members arrived, they were ambushed and murdered. Two months later, at the bottom of the St. Lawrence River, divers located the decomposing bodies of the victims wrapped in sleeping bags and tied to weightlifting plates.
Pelletier, Michaud, and Lessard were given life sentences for the murders. Richard was eventually acquitted of all charges and died of a heart attack at his home in 1996.
Michaud was released on full parole in June 2005. Lessard and Pelletier were granted day parole in October 2008.
, in 1986.
Maurice Boucher, future Quebec chapter president, did not share Cazzetta's concerns and after finishing a 40-month sentence for armed sexual assault on a 9 year old girl later that year he joined the Hells and began to rise through the ranks. For years, the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine co-existed peacefully. Police officials believe this was due to Boucher's respect for the Cazzetta, who had connections to the Quebec Mafia, the only organized-crime group the bikers were unwilling to attack. In 1994, Cazzetta was arrested at a pit-bull farm for attempting to import eleven tons of cocaine. The recently promoted Hells Montreal president Boucher began to increase pressure on the Rock Machine shortly after the arrest initiating the Quebec Biker war
.
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Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
clubhouse in Lennoxville, Quebec
Lennoxville, Quebec
Lennoxville is an arrondissement, or borough, of the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Lennoxville is located at the confluence of the St. Francis and Massawippi Rivers approximately five kilometers south of downtown Sherbrooke....
on March 24, 1985. The killings were used to liquidate the Hells Angels North Chapter, founded by Yves "Apache" Trudeau
Yves "Apache" Trudeau
Yves "Apache" Trudeau , also known as "The Mad Bumper", is a Canadian former head of the Hells Angels North Chapter outlaw motorcycle gang in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Frustrated by cocaine addiction and his suspicion that his fellow gang members wanted him dead he became a government informant...
. This event divided rival outlaw motorcycle gangs in Quebec causing the formation of the Rock Machine
Rock Machine
Rock Machine, or The Rock Machine M.C., is an outlaw motorcycle gang with six Canadian chapters, six United States chapters and eight chapters in Australia. Formed in 1986 by Salvatore Cazzetta, a former friend of Hells Angels Quebec chapter president Maurice Boucher, the Rock Machine competed...
club, a rival to the Hells in the 1990s.
Event
Other Hells Angels felt that the North Chapter bikers were too wild and uncontrollable. They often used drugs they were supposed to sell and were suspected of skimming drug profits that were meant for other Hells Angels chapters.North Chapter members were invited to a meeting at the Sherbrooke Chapter's Lennoxville clubhouse on March 24, 1985. The president of the North Chapter, Laurent "L'Anglais" Viau, and four of its members: Jean-Guy "Brutus" Geoffrion, Jean-Pierre "Matt le Crosseur" Mathieu, Michel "Willie" Mayrand, and Guy-Louis "Chop" Adam attended. When the five Laval members arrived, they were ambushed and murdered. Two months later, at the bottom of the St. Lawrence River, divers located the decomposing bodies of the victims wrapped in sleeping bags and tied to weightlifting plates.
Convictions
Several members of the Hells Angels were present and played a role in the slaughter, but only four - Robert "Tiny" Richard, Jacques Pelletier, Luc "Sam" Michaud, and Réjean "Zig-Zag" Lessard - were convicted of first-degree murder. The others were convicted of lesser related crimes.Pelletier, Michaud, and Lessard were given life sentences for the murders. Richard was eventually acquitted of all charges and died of a heart attack at his home in 1996.
Michaud was released on full parole in June 2005. Lessard and Pelletier were granted day parole in October 2008.
Quebec biker war
The event was considered extreme even for the criminal underworld, and it gave the Quebec's Hells Angels a notorious reputation. Salvatore Cazzetta, found the event an unforgivable breach of the outlaw code and rather than joining the Hells, he formed his own, smaller gang with his brother Giovanni, the Rock MachineRock Machine
Rock Machine, or The Rock Machine M.C., is an outlaw motorcycle gang with six Canadian chapters, six United States chapters and eight chapters in Australia. Formed in 1986 by Salvatore Cazzetta, a former friend of Hells Angels Quebec chapter president Maurice Boucher, the Rock Machine competed...
, in 1986.
Maurice Boucher, future Quebec chapter president, did not share Cazzetta's concerns and after finishing a 40-month sentence for armed sexual assault on a 9 year old girl later that year he joined the Hells and began to rise through the ranks. For years, the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine co-existed peacefully. Police officials believe this was due to Boucher's respect for the Cazzetta, who had connections to the Quebec Mafia, the only organized-crime group the bikers were unwilling to attack. In 1994, Cazzetta was arrested at a pit-bull farm for attempting to import eleven tons of cocaine. The recently promoted Hells Montreal president Boucher began to increase pressure on the Rock Machine shortly after the arrest initiating the Quebec Biker war
Quebec Biker war
The Quebec Biker war refers to the violent turf war that began in 1994 and continued until late 2002 in Quebec, Canada.The war began as the Hells Angels in Quebec began to make a push to establish a monopoly on street-level drug sales in the province. A number of drug dealers and crime families...
.
External links
- Quebec Hells Angel doing life for murder gets closer to parole, Montreal Gazette, October 17, 2007
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