NEW CHARGES IN DRUG DEATH

Valleyfield - The 16-year-old Hudson youth arrested Feb. 5 in
connection with the drug death of a 13-year-old Rigaud girl appeared
at a bail hearing Tuesday, where he was charged with several additional counts.

The unnamed teen now faces a total of 12 charges, including
trafficking, breaking probation, obstruction of justice, two counts
of sexual assault and one charge of having sex with a minor under 14.

The court heard details of the 13-year-old's death from both Surete
du Quebec investigator Eric Roy and the 14-year-old, at whose home
the younger girl was staying that weekend.

It was not the first time they had gone to the 16-year-old's home
with the intention of buying ecstacy, the older girl said in response
to questioning from Crown Prosecutor Mylene Gregoire.

On this occasion, she said, both she and her friend took the party
drug. The 13-year-old took a pill and a half. The 14-year-old took
only one pill. The 13-year-old said after taking the first pill she
was feeling no effect, so she asked for more. She took another half pill.

Two hours later, the girls left after the younger girl complained of
a headache and began throwing up. Twice over the course of that
Saturday evening, the 16-year-old went to the older girl's home, the
first time to bring them Aspirin and Gravol and tell the 14-year-old
to give her friend cold compresses, and the second time, when it
became obvious the younger girl was in the throes of a serious drug overdose.

At 2:50 a.m. Sunday, the older girl's mother came to their room and
tried to reanimate the girl, who by this time had stopped breathing.
She called Hudson's first responders, who tried unsuccessfully to
resuscitate the victim until the ambulance arrived.

By this time, the 16-year-old had left the 14-year-old's house. At 6
a.m., she told the court, he called her to make sure she wasn't
telling anyone he had supplied them with the ecstacy.

The stricken girl was rushed to the Lakeshore General, then to the
Montreal Children's, where a brain scan showed she had suffered
serious brain lesions. Brain death was confirmed at 11:20 a.m. Monday
and she was taken off life support that afternoon.

A vomit-covered sweater belonging to the accused was seized at the
older girl's home, Roy told Quebec Youth Court Judge Jean Gravel.
Although the results of toxicology tests are not yet available, the
SQ detective said preliminary reports indicated that the teen had
died of an MDMA (3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or ecstacy), overdose.

Police also seized the 16-year-old's computer to check his e-mails
after the 14-year-old told them he had told her he was selling
ecstacy over the internet, Roy told the court. Two further
trafficking charges were laid as a result.

The bail hearing continues, with defence lawyer Marc Alain expected
to ask for bail for his young client.