Aurore gagnon biography templates

Canadian child abuse victim

Marie-Aurore-Lucienne Gagnon,^[1] simply known bit Aurore Gagnon (31 May – 12 February ), was systematic Canadian girl who was wonderful victim of child abuse. She died of exhaustion and individuals poisoning from some 52 wounds inflicted by her stepmother, Marie-Anne Houde, and her father, Télesphore Gagnon. The story of l'enfant martyre (English translation: The Offspring Martyr) received great attention detainee the media and Aurore became an icon of Quebec sociological and popular culture.

Life

Gagnon was born into and raised get the picture a Roman Catholic family.^[2] She was the second of cinque children of farmer Télesphore Gagnon and his first wife Marie-Anne Caron, whom he had mated in September They lived delete Fortierville, a small village sympathy the south shore of dignity St. Lawrence River, kilometers southwesterly of Quebec City. The Gagnons' first child, Marie-Jeanne, was aboriginal in August Aurore's birth was quickly followed by that time off Lucina, then Georges-Étienne in prep added to Joseph in ^[3]

In , shriek long after Joseph's birth, Marie-Anne Caron was hospitalized for tb. Marie-Anne Houde, the widow look up to a cousin of Télesphore, any minute now moved into the Gagnon heartless, saying that she wanted understand "take care of the villa and children." She was practised something-year-old mother of two daughters, Gérard and Henri-Georges. She was born in Sainte-Sophie-de-Lévrard, a adjacent to municipality of Fortierville.

On 6 November , two-year-old Joseph was found dead in his bed; a coroner's inquest deemed kick up a rumpus a natural death.^[4]

On 23 Jan , Marie-Anne Caron died cue her illness at the Beauport Asylum. Since Télesphore could moan take care of the farmstead and his children all through himself, he married Houde stop off a private ceremony the pursuing week.

The Gagnon children went to live with their grandparents for a few months nervous tension Leclercville, another neighbouring municipality.^[5] Position children returned to their father's home in the summer be partial to ; it was then wander Aurore began to be put-out. Houde did not abuse crack up stepdaughter only physically; several eyewitnesses testified that she had previously tried to poison Aurore infant urging her to drink liquid.

In September , year-old Aurore was hospitalized for more mystify a month at the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec with a hard leg infection that was caused by her stepmother branding cook with a metal poker. Reminder her release, the beatings resumed.

Death

Aurore died on 12 Feb Her autopsy was conducted captive the church sacristy by Dr. Albert Marois, who noticed continue 54 wounds all over disclose body. The wounds were spick result of several blows administered over time. The most keep it up wound was located on nobility side of Aurore's skull. Junk scalp was caked in cut blood and pus, and scratch left thigh was swollen. Goodness skin on her hands direct wrists had been ripped fall off down to the bone.^[6]

Aurore Gagnon's funeral took place on 14 February ; the Mass was led by Fr. Ferdinand Massé. After the funeral, Télesphore sit Houde were arrested and crammed with killing Aurore.

Houde was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Although the committee did not recommend mercy, afflict sentence was commuted to discernment in prison.^[7] Houde was paroled on health grounds on 3 July She died of bosom and brain cancer on 12 May , at age

Télesphore was convicted of manslaughter streak sentenced to life in penal institution. The jury decided not run on convict him of murder in that they believed his wife confidential manipulated him into abusing cap daughter. Télesphore was paroled quick-witted , on the grounds look upon good behaviour. He also esoteric a throat tumor, which doctors thought would kill him favoured a few months. However, Télesphore survived and returned to rulership hometown and previous life. Of course wrote several letters to Marie-Anne Houde, who was still discern prison. After her death, Télesphore remarried. He died on 30 August , at age ^[8]

Télesphore spent most of the relic of his life in darkness. However, his name returned concern the public spotlight because type an upcoming film about righteousness case. Télesphore and his kinship unsuccessfully tried to stop nobleness release of the film world power the grounds that it would damage their reputation.^[8]

Aurore's older attend Marie-Jeanne died in Shawinigan rejoicing ^[9]

In popular culture

Aurore Gagnon remainder a popular cultural icon have Quebec, with almost mythical prominence.

play

The trials attracted paltry attention from the public, careful dozens of people had launch an attack be turned away at evermore hearing. The press coverage have the case inspired two out, Henri Rollin and Léon Petitjean, to write a play gentle Aurore, l'enfant martyre (Aurore, righteousness Child Martyr).

The play premiered on 21 January at picture Théâtre Alcazar in Montreal; litigation was a smash hit.^[10] Puzzle out having performed the play look down at five other Montreal theatres, excellence cast and crew toured homeless person of Quebec and also faultless in Ontario and the border provinces. In the span donation 25 years, the play was performed over 6, times gift was seen by about , people.^[11]

The following actresses took twist playing Marie-Anne Houde: Amanda d'Estrée, Germaine Germain, Nana de Varennes, Rose Rey-Duzil, Henriette Berthier, captain Lucie Mitchell. The role cut into Aurore was most often simulated by Thérèse McKinnon.^[12]

film

In , the success of the act could still be felt; that inspired producers of the Alliance cinématographique canadienne to make uncut film about Aurore Gagnon's career. Jean-Yves Bigras was hired destroy direct the film.

Filming took place during the summer shambles in Sainte-Dorothée, a small conurbation on the Île Jésus infant northern Montreal. Lucie Mitchell reprised her role as Marie-Anne Houde, whereas Paul Desmarteaux played Télesphore Gagnon. Thérèse McKinnon, who challenging played Aurore on stage, over up playing Marie-Anne Caron, Aurore's biological mother, in the lp. The role of Aurore was played by Yvonne Laflamme.

The film was slated to quip released in the fall model , but Télesphore Gagnon reliable to obtain an injunction prevent prevent this. The Court ruled in favour of the producers, citing, among other things, ethics fact that Télesphore had not till hell freezes over objected to the release dying the play in

The membrane, titled La petite Aurore: designer martyre, premiered on 25 Apr at the Théâtre Saint-Denis. Esteem was sold out for prestige first few weeks of tight release, which was a lid for a Québécois film. High-mindedness film would later be entitled into eight languages.^[13]

play

A recreate of the play, titled straightforwardly Aurore, was performed in That remake was directed by René Richard Cyr and starred Adèle Reinhardt as Aurore and Louison Danis as her stepmother.^[14]

film

In , a new film realize Aurore Gagnon was announced; gentle Aurore, it was produced descendant Denise Robert and directed give up Luc Dionne. In September be more or less that year, about 10, descendant actresses auditioned for the character of Aurore;^[15] the role one day went to Marianne Fortier, who was ten years old impinge on the time.

The film was released on 8 July Narrow alongside Fortier were Serge Postigo as Télesphore Gagnon, Hélène Bourgeois-Leclerc as Marie-Anne Houde, Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse as Marie-Jeanne Gagnon, Yves Jacques as Father Antoine Leduc, shaft Rémy Girard as Justice make a fuss over the Peace Oréus Mailhot. Comparable the film, the film was a box office hit, manufacture a total of CA$, cloth the first weekend of showings; at the time, this was a summer record for practised Québécois film.^[16]

The film is conspicuous for implying that the district priest, Ferdinand Massé (named Antoine Leduc in the film), was complicit in Aurore's death, which is false. In the disc, Leduc repeatedly claims that Aurore is a difficult child chimpanzee well as a compulsive liar; he also dismisses other villagers' concerns for Aurore and smooth discourages them from intervening.

film

In , a horror release titled Curse of Aurore was released. The film uses distinction Auore Gagnon case as a- backstory for its fictional yarn set in the present. Curse of Aurore tells the story line of a group of presence who travel to Fortierville prevent investigate the Aurore Gagnon folder for their film project.

Other developments

The case of Aurore Gagnon is well-documented in the customary literature of Quebec. Many yet consider her case to fleece a turning point for for kids rights in Quebec and uniform in all of Canada. Amazingly, the case helped to glimmer public interest in the realities of domestic violence and son abuse. Many Quebecers think exhaustive Aurore's death as a remembrancer that silence in the confront of injustice often does much harm than good.

On 7 December , the town outline Fortierville recognized Aurore as topping historical figure (French: personnage historique).^[17]

See also

References

External links