A man arrested over the weekend in the brutal beating death of a woman in Longueuil, Que. last Tuesday is expected to appear in court Monday.
The 26-year-old was arrested Saturday afternoon. He is expected to be charged with murder in the death of 23-year-old Jenique Dalcourt.
Dalcourt was walking home after work Tuesday night along a well-known but dimly lit bike path in Old Longueuil when she was attacked.
She was discovered by a passerby at 10 p.m., in a pool of blood and died several hours later in hospital. An autopsy revealed she had been fatally beaten with a blunt object.
Police have not said whether Dalcourt and the suspect knew each other. They have said the suspect is from Longueuil but didn't live in the neighbourhood where the attack took place.
CTV Montreal's Stephane Giroux reports investigators interviewed the man hours after the murder, but did not arrest him until Saturday.
"He was considered a witness, but as the week progressed and as police were able to gather more evidence from witnesses, he went from being an eyewitness to an actual suspect," Giroux said.
Police are not searching for other suspects.
Several members of Dalcourt's family have gathered at the Longueuil courthouse awaiting the suspect's appearance.
The brutality of the attack shocked many in the neighbourhood. A vigil was held for Dalcourt Saturday night, and was attended by family, friends and neighbours who shared in the family's sorrow.
Since the murder, the city of Longueuil has taken steps to make the bike path safer, swapping bulbs in several street lights for brighter LED bulbs and cutting back or removing trees that had been blocking lighting.
