Probe ongoing in slaying of Quebec woman who had reported threats just days before

MONTREAL — Police are still seeking a suspect in the slaying of a Montreal-area woman on Sunday who had told authorities days prior about being the victim of alleged death threats.

Provincial police said there have been no arrests in the killing of Marly Edouard, 32, known in Haiti’s music scene as a former manager, producer and radio host.

A command post was set up near her home in the Montreal suburb of Laval on Monday; a police spokeswoman said Tuesday she had no new information to provide.

Djimy Ducasse, who lives in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, and co-owned a music agency with Edouard, said in an interview Tuesday the community to which Edouard was closely tied is taking her death hard.

Edouard came to Canada in 2016 and, two years later, set up Symbiose509, a Laval-based promotion, marketing and events agency with Ducasse, which operated in Haiti. Ducasse said he met Edouard in 2013 when she was managing rap stars in Haiti and he was hosting a radio show. It was a friendship that would continue with the pair becoming business partners.

“We became good friends, we spoke all the time, we spoke about business, we spoke about everything and nothing,” said Ducasse, who last spoke to her on Friday — the same day she reported alleged threats to local police.

Ducasse said they spoke about some tasks she wanted him to do and some recent health problems she’d encountered, but she never mentioned anything about threats on her life.

He said he had tried calling her Sunday but Edouard never responded, which he said was unlike her. On Monday, Ducasse was alerted to Montreal media reports that Edouard had been killed.

Quebec provincial police have classified Edouard’s death as a homicide and have said her body bore marks of violence when it was found Sunday in the parking lot of her condominium building.

Meanwhile, Quebec’s police watchdog is investigating the Laval police’s response to the alleged threats Edouard reported last Friday. The Bureau des enquetes independantes said Edouard had called 911 to ask for help from Laval police on Feb. 19.

The call was placed about 12:40 p.m. to police; officers met with her and left, according to the watchdog agency. Less than 48 hours later, Edouard was found dead.

Edouard was described by Ducasse as kind and driven. She had been involved in the music scene in Haiti at a very young age and had worked with many artists in the country. Some artists took to social media to pay their respects to her.

“Marly isn’t someone that went unnoticed,” Ducasse said.

“Everyone who was part of the rap scene in Haiti, it was nearly impossible to not have worked on at least one project with Marly Edouard. It’s why her death hits hard for a lot of people in Haiti.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2021.

The Canadian Press