MONTREAL — A Quebecer found guilty of murdering a woman and their two children is being held in a men’s federal institution while authorities assess the convict's request to be housed in a women’s prison, Correctional Service Canada said Wednesday.
Mohamad Al Ballouz was sentenced Dec. 20 to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years for the 2022 murders of Synthia Bussières and their sons, five-year-old Eliam and two-year-old Zac, in the Montreal suburb of Brossard. The killer, who was Bussières' husband at the time, was also convicted of arson for setting fire to the family condo.
Al Ballouz, who now identifies as a woman and goes by the name Levana, has asked to be incarcerated at the Joliette Institution for Women.
Correctional Service Canada said in an emailed statement that offenders are assessed within 60 to 90 days of being admitted into a federal institution to determine security risks and review details of the case.
"It also allows us to determine the security level and the appropriate penitentiary placement based on the security of the public, the staff and other inmates. Furthermore, the victims’ concerns are taken into account when determining the penitentiary placement," it said.
The agency said it works with offenders who request accommodations based on gender identity. "This includes placement in an institution that better aligns with the offender's gender identity or expression, if that is their preference, regardless of their sex (i.e. anatomy) and regardless of the gender or sex marker on their identity documents."
Correctional Service Canada policy, it added, "is to place offenders in an institution that better aligns with their gender identity unless there are overriding health and safety concerns that cannot be otherwise mitigated."
It said each request is assessed on a case-by-case basis. "When there are overriding health and safety concerns, the request is denied and alternatives are put in place to meet the offender’s gender‑related needs at the institution where they are incarcerated."
During sentencing last month at the courthouse in Longueuil, Que., Quebec Superior Court Justice Eric Downs described Al Ballouz as "sadistic" and remorseless. The trial heard Bussières, 38, was stabbed 23 times. At least 11 of the stab wounds were classified as defensive wounds, which the Crown said shows she fought for her life.
The boys were then killed before Al Ballouz consumed wiper fluid and set the fire to destroy evidence. An autopsy was not able to establish the exact cause of the boys' deaths.
The case drew the attention of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. “I can’t believe I have to say this: but when I’m (prime minister), there will be no male prisoners in female jails,” he wrote on X in December.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 8, 2025.
Joe Bongiorno, The Canadian Press
