Ex-con charged with killing woman

MONTREAL, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- A carpenter with a criminal record that includes the attempted kidnapping of a 7-year-old girl has been charged with killing a Canadian government employee.

Claude Larouche, 48, made his first court appearance Friday in Montreal, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported. He was arrested late Thursday at his home.

Natasha Cournoyer, 37, who worked in communications for Corrections Canada, vanished Oct. 1. Investigators say she was abducted from a parking lot in Laval outside Montreal on Oct. 1.

Her body was discovered six days later on the bank of the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, about 15 miles from where she vanished.

Police say the crime was completely random. While Larouche had been in prison twice, Cournoyer had no contact with inmates and was not working for Corrections Canada when he was inside.

"He had no links with the victim, and it's also important to note her work had nothing to do with it," Inspector Daniel Rousseau of the Montreal Police said.

Cournoyer was released last year after serving three years for the attempted kidnapping. He has also been convicted of sexual assault.