After 33 years in prison, Quebec man released on bail says he’s ‘rediscovering the joys of life’
Daniel Jolivet is out pending outcome of review into possible miscarriage of justice
Daniel Jolivet, 68, had his first taste of freedom this weekend after spending the last 33 years behind bars.
“It’s marvelous,” Jolivet told Radio-Canada’s Tout un matin in Montreal on Monday. “It’s a return to life.”
Jolivet said the weekend was about making discoveries and observing how time has moved forward on the outside.
“I’m rediscovering the joy of life, the city, new things, everything that didn’t exist before, everything that has been developed over the last 33 years,” he said.
Jolivet was convicted in 1994 of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder in Brossard, Que., south of Montreal, in the November 1992 shooting deaths of two men and two women.
He has always maintained his innocence in the killings. Last week, he was granted bail and released from prison pending the outcome of a federal review into a possible miscarriage of justice.
Jolivet’s lawyer, Nicholas St-Jacques, said no one is ever completely safe from a wrongful conviction and that Jolivet’s case is a good reminder of that.
“A criminal case is a chain of decisions and human interventions,” he said.
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St-Jacques notes it starts with a witness, then police, Crown prosecutors, defence lawyers and then a judge who makes a decision at the end.
“At each stage there’s a possibility of a wrongful conviction,” he said.
Daniel Jolivet continuously pleaded his innocence for four murders he was convicted of in the 1990s. Now, the federal Justice Department’s criminal conviction review group is investigating his case for a potential miscarriage of justice.
St-Jacques, who has worked on Jolivet’s case for 17 years, called his release a “victory for justice” and credited Jolivet for his tenacity despite the many setbacks.
The look in his eyes, St-Jacques said, was of someone “who would never give up.”
Determined to prove his innocence
Jolivet, for his part, said tenacity and resilience were traits passed down to him by his mother.
“It was long,” he said of the decades he spent incarcerated, but proving his innocence kept him motivated.
“I constantly sought to obtain documented proof,” he said, adding he learned how to file access to information requests and pushed for answers.
“When one place didn’t work out, I went to another place and refused to be told no.”
Jolivet also acknowledged the tremendous support he received from his legal team and Projet Innocence Québec, which was co-founded in 2002 by Jolivet’s former lawyer, Lida Sara Nouraie, who is now a Quebec court judge.
Another coping strategy he relied on was to take his sentence one day at a time.
“Each day has enough trouble of its own,” he said.
That attitude will no doubt serve him well as his legal journey is far from over.
St-Jacques explained the federal justice minister is currently investigating and will eventually submit a report into that investigation “that we’ll be able to comment on,” he said.
The minister will then decide whether to order a new trial or send the case back to the Court of Appeal — a process that could take one or even several years, according to St-Jacques.
In the meantime, however, Jolivet can enjoy his freedom, St-Jacques said, adding that it’s too soon in the process to seek compensation for his client.
He would have to first be recognized as a victim of a miscarriage of justice and get an acquittal.
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Jolivet, for his part, said he’s looking forward to spending time with loved ones and plans on living life quietly.
“Not even an infraction,” he said.
He’s also hoping to take care of a few mundane things such as getting a new driver’s licence. He also said, somewhat incredulously, that he would be applying for his old-age pension.
“It’s funny to say, but I’ve reached that point. I’m over 68 now, even if it doesn’t show,” he joked.
Other things on his wish list include getting some dental work done and also maybe getting his eyesight checked.
“So many things,” he said. “So many things.”