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A 35-year-old Montreal man who previously stabbed a mother of two to death in Vancouver has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with a homicide at a Plateau Mont-Royal dépanneur.
Xavier Gellatly, whose criminal history, both in Montreal and in British Columbia, features numerous convictions for violent offences, appeared at the Montreal courthouse on Friday.
He was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Chong Woo Kim, who worked at a corner store on Berri Street, opposite the Laurier Metro station, according to people who said they knew him.
Gellatly has had numerous and often violent run-ins with the justice system — including the previous fatal stabbing in Vancouver. In 2012, he killed Chelsea Holden, a 28-year-old mother of two, inside the Cobalt Hotel. He was convicted of manslaughter in connection with that case and sentenced to seven years in jail, according to media coverage of the incident.
The Province reported that the judge overseeing the case described Holden, the victim, as “entirely innocent” and little more than a bystander during the fatal encounter.
In that case, Gellatly was initially charged with second-degree murder, but the charge was downgraded to manslaughter.
During those proceedings, he reportedly told the court that he realized the seriousness of what he had done and expressed regret.
“When I say the phrase, ‘I took someone’s life,’ I still have a hard time believing it,” he told the court. “However it is a fact and I can’t change it. I have to live with what I’ve done.”
Even before the manslaughter conviction, Gellatly had a history of violent offences. In 2009, in Montreal, he was convicted of assaulting a peace officer and mischief causing property damage.
While awaiting his manslaughter sentence, he also pleaded guilty to assaulting an inmate and prison guard inside a B.C. prison, according to court records.
After his release from prison in B.C., he returned to Quebec where he was convicted of additional crimes, including uttering threats, failing to comply with a release order and, animal cruelty in 2022.
Details of the animal cruelty case, reported by Info du Nord, indicate that he “violently threw his cat” in an attempt to kill it and also killed his pet rabbit by breaking its neck.
The prosecutors in that case had requested a 30-month sentence. The defense had argued for six months; the judge imposed eight.
He appeared briefly in court on Friday and will next appear on May 4.
