LONGUEUIL - Three people accused of robbing poker champ Jonathan Duhamel will remain in captivity at least until Tuesday when their bail hearing continues.
Judge Pierre Bélisle must decide whether Bianca Rojas-Latraverse, Anthony Bourque and John-Stephen Clark-Lemay should be freed while awaiting their trial. A fourth accused has already been released to face his trial in the spring.
A probation agent told the court Friday that Rojas-Latraverse had failed to complete court-ordered community work ordered after she was convicted of drunk-driving last year.
Relatives of her co-accused showed up at court to show that they were willing to post bail for the other two.
The defense argued they trio deserved bail because the evidence was weak.
But the prosecution repeated their claims that Rojas-Latraverse had bragged about the planned attack; the victim had identified the alleged attackers from a photo lineup; some of the stolen items were discovered in Clark-Lemay's hotel room; and the tools used in the robber were found inside Boruque's apartment.
The court was staying late Friday in an attempt to finally decide whether the three would be released to await trial.
On Thursday, Rojas-Latraverse, Duhamel's ex-girlfriend, told the court she is a professional poker player, and would live with her estranged father while awaiting trial. She said she was interested in studying law but on Friday said that she would like to study dance.
Bourque said he was a landscaper and wants to continue to work in his recently-created snow-clearing business, though a prosecutor vigorously challenged those claims.
Clark-Lemay told the court he had earned a scholarship to Concordia's John Molson School of Business. He is currently unemployed and confessed to having alcohol issues, but promised to respect bail conditions even if they're difficult. On Friday he told the court that he was working on an 8,000 page novel.
On Wednesday, police received another tip suggesting Rojas-Latraverse had vowed to get revenge on Duhamel after their break-up.
Duhamel is currently at a major poker tournament in the Caribbean. He says he wants to turn the page on the incident, according to his agent Philippe Jetté.
Prosecution argues against bail
The prosecution aggressively queried the defendants and argued against bail. Crown prosecutor Nancy Delorme said that the trio should not be released due to the gravity of the accusations.
Duhamel, who won US$8.9 million at the Main Event in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas in 2010, was robbed on December 21, 2011.
Thieves broke into his home, tied him up and severely beat him before making off with $40,000 in Canadian currency, 74,000 euros, a Rolex watch and bracelet worth $40,000.
with files from The Canadian Press
