 Francis Lawrence Chartier was found dead Tuesday.
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OTTAWA - She was happy, relieved and calm when police called to say her 73-year-old husband had been murdered.
She had spent more than 30 years of her life tormented by the man, and she said it's been more than a year since she last saw him.
"I feel nothing. I would actually thank the guy (who killed him)," said the 50-year-old wife of Francis Lawrence Chartier, who asked that her name not be published. She later added she wasn't condoning murder and still wants police to catch the killer.
Any love she'd had for Chartier was beaten out of her a long time ago.
"You have no idea. It's such a relief. He was an abuser. He abused both children and myself. Mentally and physically. It was just becoming insane," said the woman, who lives in Montreal.
Chartier was found apparently bludgeoned to death Tuesday lying beside his bed at 721 Chapel Cres., an Ottawa Community Housing low-rise in Sandy Hill's southern edge.There was blood around his head and he'd been dead at least a day.
Police arrived at about 2 a.m. Tuesday. Later that day they announced they were investigating the city's fifth homicide of the year.
They have announced no arrests or possible suspects.
Chartier was described as a miserable man who was angry, sad and lonely.
He would smoke marijuana and it was believed he'd let drug dealers into his unit.
It was hard to find anyone who had anything nice to say about Chartier, who lived in the apartment for about a year, according to neighbours.
He used a wheelchair, but his wife questions whether he needed it. A couple of residents said they saw him pushing himself around using only his feet.
His 17-year-old son said he wants to meet his father's killer.
"Whoever killed him, I'll give them a handshake," he said. His 20-year-old brother also wanted nothing to do with Chartier.
"That's how we feel," replied his mom. "My son wants to shake (the killer's) hand."
Chartier, who apparently came from an abusive home, met the woman when she was a 17-year-old runaway.
He threatened to kill her if she left him.
"I tried to leave after a few weeks and he beat the crap out of me. He'd make these pretend phone calls to so-called military friends and gave my description to them and said 'if you see her, kill her,'" she said. "At 17, I kind of believed him."
She eventually kicked him out of their Montreal home a couple years ago, but didn't divorce him because she didn't believe Chartier would sign the papers. He ended up breaking in one day.
Chartier was arrested and later sentenced to 90 days in jail. She slapped a restraining order against him, which she said he broke repeatedly.
"He moved to Ottawa because he knew he was going to be arrested here (for breaking the restraining order). He was running from police. There was an investigating officer that was looking for him," she said.
She said Chartier had had several wives and children before they met. He also had brothers and sisters. He was estranged from all of them.
kenneth.jackson@sunmedia.ca
