A 31-year-old Quebec man is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his fiancée

SALABERRY-DE-VALLEYFIELD, Que. – A Quebec man has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of his fiancée, who was reported missing last month.

Nicholas Gravel appeared briefly at the courthouse in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, west of Montreal, in connection with the killing of Kelsey Watt, 29.

His trial was postponed until December 16 to set a date for a preliminary hearing.

Gravel, 31, wore a large gray T-shirt as he appeared via video from a Montreal detention center.

The Crown announced it had turned over some of the evidence to the defense and Gravel was ordered not to address a long list of witnesses.

According to the charges filed, Watt died sometime between Sept. 15 and Sept. 21, the day police said she was reported missing, sparking an extensive search by authorities and locals.

Gravel was arrested hours after Watts' body was found Thursday near her home in Hemmingford, Que., and was initially charged with indignity to a corpse.

During Wednesday's hearing, the Crown requested that the file regarding the contempt charge be closed.

Watt's death is the 11th femicide reported in Quebec in 2024, according to SOS Violence Conjugale, a group that advocates for victims of intimate partner violence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2024.

The Canadian Press