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The fifth estate: The Road to Hell
Timeline of Terror> Printer Version
Broadcast
October 24th, 2001
June
21 1953: Maurice "Mom" Boucher is
born in the East End of Montreal.
1973: At the age
of 20 "Mom" is already involved in petty crime.
1987: "Mom"
joins the Hells Angels and rises to become their leader.
Late
1980's: Boucher does short periods in jail for
hijacking and arms possession crimes.
Summer 1995: A
young boy is killed by a piece of shrapnel when a biker bomb explodes.
Fall 1995: The
crack "Wolverine" police unit is formed in Quebec to put the
bikers behind bars.
Summer 1997: The
Hells allegedly murder prison guard Diane Lavigne in an effort to terrorize
police.
Fall
1997: Police nab Stephane Gagné as the shooter
in the prison guard killings.
December 18, 1997:
Gagné points to "Mom" as the one who ordered the killings
and the leader is arrested.
November
1998: "Mom" is acquitted of the prison guard killings
and released.
Winter 1998: A raid on a biker's home shows
the Hells have key police intelligence reports.
September 13, 2000: Crime reporter Michel
Auger is shot six times but survives.
October 10, 2000: Boucher is re-arrested
for the prison guard killings.
March 2001: Police arrest 120 bikers and
their associates in a raid called Operation Springtime.
March 2002: The trial for 'Mom' Boucher begins.
He is tried separately from the other members who were arrested during
Operation Springtime.
April 2002: A high-profile 'mega' trial for
17 Hells Angels begins in Quebec. It is the largest in Quebec. A special
high security courthouse is built for the trial.
May 2002: After 11 days of deliberation a jury finds Hells Angels
leader Maurice Boucher guilty of murder. He is sentenced to life in prison
for ordering the murder of two Bordeaux jail guards five years ago. He
appeals the verdict a month later.
July 2002: Justice Jean-Guy Boilard quits
the high profile 'mega' Hells Angels trial because of a complaint filed
against him by one of the defence lawyers.
August 2002: Quebec Superior Court judge,
Pierre Beliveau orders a new trial for 17 Hells Angels accused of drug
trafficking, gangsterism and conspiracy to commit murder.
September 2002: Another 'mega-trial' for
members of the Quebec Hells Angels begins. In this one 13 members are
charged with 13 murders.
September 2003: Nine members of Quebec's
chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang are sentenced to prison terms
ranging from 10 to 15 years for drug trafficking, gangsterism, and conspiracy
to commit murder. Nine of the 12 gang members accepted a plea bargain
earlier this month and pleaded guilty to lesser charges. The three remaining
accused will face new murder trials.
February 2004: Quebec police conducted a massive sweep in Montreal and
issued warrents for 63 Hells Angels members. The bikers were charged with
drug offenses and gangsterism. It was the biggest raid since Operation
Springtime in 2001.
March 2004: The mega-trial which was halted in July 2002 finally reaches a conclusion. Nine members of Hells Angels and an associated biker club are convicted of 26 counts of gangsterism, drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit murder. The trial lasted nearly one year and the jury reached their verdict after 12 days of deliberation.
the fifth estate:
The Road to Hell
Originally Broadcast on October 24, 2001
Updated in February, 2004
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