Brossard Triple Homicide: Levana Ballouz Sentenced to Life in Prison
Levana Ballouz, formerly known as Mohamad Al Ballouz, has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for at least 25 years for the 2022 murders of her partner, Synthia Bussières and their two young sons, Éliam and Zac, in Brossard, Quebec. The sentencing took place on December 20, 2024, at the Longueuil courthouse, after the crimes occurred.
A jury had previously found Ballouz guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Bussières, 38, and first-degree murder in the deaths of five-year-old Éliam and two-year-old Zac. She was also convicted of arson for setting fire to the family’s condo.
Quebec Superior Court Justice Eric Downs described Ballouz as “sadistic” and remorseless during the sentencing hearing. He highlighted the “extreme violence” and brutal manner in which Bussières was repeatedly stabbed, characterizing the killing as a “femicide” and indicative of the accused’s “sadistic character.”
The judge stated that Ballouz’s crimes demonstrated the danger she posed and that there was little prospect of rehabilitation. “The evidence shows that the accused shows no remorse, no empathy,” Downs told the court. He further characterized Ballouz as a “deeply narcissistic person” whose manipulative personality made “it impossible to envisage medium to long-term rehabilitation and mitigation to the risk of recidivism.”
Ballouz had requested to be incarcerated at the Joliette Institution for Women should she be convicted. However, the court ruled that the Correctional Service of Canada would determine where she serves her sentence.
While detained, Ballouz is prohibited from contacting the victims’ family and friends, as well as the Crown’s witnesses who testified during the trial. The case garnered significant attention, and the sentencing brings a degree of closure to a tragic event that deeply impacted the Brossard community.
The conviction and sentencing follow a trial that examined the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Bussières and her two children. The details of the case revealed a disturbing pattern of violence and a lack of remorse from the perpetrator. Legal experts suggest that the severity of the crimes and the absence of mitigating factors contributed to the harsh sentence imposed by the court.
