Denise Morelle (3 December 1926 in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

– 17 July 1984 in Montreal) was a

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

actress whose 1984 murder was a significant media event in Quebec.

Life and career

Morelle was born in Montreal on 3 December 1926, into a working-class family with seven children. She first appeared on television in 1955 on the television series ''

Beau temps, mauvais temps {{unref, date=July 2016 ''Beau temps, mauvais temps'' is a Québécois television series that ran from 1955 to 1958. Synopsis Radio-Canada presented 96 episodes of this series, which is set in the small town of Villeneuve. The series tells the sto ...

''. Among her most famous roles from her 30-year career was that of Dame Plume from the show ''

La Ribouldingue LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

''.

Death

On 17 July 1984, Morelle visited a ground-floor apartment on Sanguinet Street in Montreal that she was considering renting. The landlord was not there, but had told her earlier that she could go in anytime she wished because the apartment was not locked. That evening she failed to show up for a play in which she was performing, and police found her body in the apartment the next day: she had been strangled, beaten and raped. Her funeral was attended by over 1,000 friends, supporters, and colleagues, including

Michel Tremblay Michel Tremblay (born 25 June 1942) is a French-Canadian novelist and playwright. Tremblay was born in Montreal, Quebec, where he grew up in the French-speaking neighbourhood of Plateau Mont-Royal; at the time of his birth, a neighbourhood wit ...

and Jean Duceppe. A small park in the Le Plateau district of Montreal has since been named after her.

Investigation

No apparent motive existed for her murder, and it was initially the subject of hysterical speculation in the press and amongst the public. It remained entirely unsolved until 8 August 2007, when investigators from the major crimes division of the Montreal police arrested 49-year-old Gaetan Bissonnette, who had been identified from a DNA sample he had provided for an unrelated reason. The TV network TVA claimed that a program it had aired on the case had led to the discovery. Bissonnette appeared before court on 9 August, accused of first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to a reduced second-degree murder charge. On 30 November 2007, he was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 20 years.

Filmography

* 1955 : ''

'' (television series) * 1963 : '' Ti-Jean caribou'' (TV series) *

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

: ''

Don't Let It Kill You ''Don't Let It Kill You'' (french: Il ne faut pas mourir pour ça) is a 1967 French-Canadian feature from Jean Pierre Lefebvre. It is the first film in his "Abel Trilogy", followed by ''The Old Country Where Rimbaud Died (Le Vieux pays où Rimbaud ...

(Il ne faut pas mourir pour ça)'' * 1968 : ''

'' (TV series) : ''Dame Plume'' * 1969 : '' Bidule de Tarmacadam'' (TV series) : ''Mame Bouline'' *

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

: ''

Those Damned Savages ''Those Damned Savages'' (french: Les maudits sauvages) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Jean Pierre Lefebvre and released in 1971.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 217. A satirical critique of colonia ...

(Les Maudits sauvages)'' : ''Marie'' *

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

: '' In the Name of the Son (Et du fils)'' * 1972: ''

Françoise Durocher, Waitress ''Françoise Durocher, Waitress'' is a Canadian dramatic television film, directed by André Brassard and released in 1972. The film presents a portrait of Françoise Durocher, a waitress at a diner in Quebec, as portrayed by 24 different actresse ...

'' *

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

: '' Once Upon a Time in the East (Il était une fois dans l'est)'' : ''Belle Sœur'' *

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

: ''A Woman Inflamed (Tout feu, tout femme)'' *

: ''The Yellow Island (L'Île jaune)'' *

: ''

Confidences of the Night ''Confidences of the Night'' (french: L'Amour blessé, lit. "Wounded Love") is a 1975 Canadian drama film written and directed by Jean Pierre Lefebvre.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 47. The film stars Lo ...

(L'Amour blessé)'' *

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

: ''

The Late Blossom ''The Late Blossom'' (french: Le soleil se lève en retard) is a 1977 Canadian drama film directed by André Brassard and written by his long-time collaborator, playwright Michel Tremblay. It was entered into the 10th Moscow International Film F ...

(Le Soleil se lève en retard)'' : ''Colette'' * 1980 : ''

Frédéric Frédéric and Frédérick are the French versions of the common male given name Frederick. They may refer to: In artistry: * Frédéric Back, Canadian award-winning animator * Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor * Frédéric Bazille, Impress ...

'' (TV series) : ''Develine Gladu''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morelle, Denise 1926 births 1984 deaths Actresses from Montreal Canadian film actresses Canadian murder victims Canadian television actresses French Quebecers People murdered in Quebec 20th-century Canadian actresses Female murder victims Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery