| Robert "Bob" Savard |
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| Robert Savard, born in the early 1950s, was said to a top ranking Hells Angels associate and was described as one of Montreal’s most important loansharks, plying his trade in the city’s east end. He was close to Hells Angels kingpin Maurice “Mom” Boucher, who he knew since they were children. Over the years, Savard was charged with a variety of crimes, including drug trafficking and extortion, but police rarely made the allegations stick and the reputed loanshark would walk away free. Savard, it has been said, was part owner of Le Juste Milieu, an anti-police newspaper. Supposedly also involved with the publication was former Surete du Quebec officer Gaetan Rivest. During a 1994 raid on his house, Savard claimed the police had handcuffed him, his wife, and their teenage son for over two hours as they searched him home. |
In 1995, Savard and two others - Gilles Giguere, described as Savard’s right-hand man, and lawyer Gilles Daudelin - were charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Their target, according to a news report, was a West Island real-estate agent whom they supposedly believed had millions in a Swiss bank account. The charges would eventually be dropped for lack of evidence. Savard’s co-defendant in the case, Gilles Giguere, was found dead along a road in the small north shore town of Epiphanie in April 1996. He had been shot repeatedly and then dumped into a ditch. Police again arrested Savard, this time with Guy Lepage and Ronald Leduc, in June 1999 on charges that they abducted a man and attempted to extort as much as $100,000 from him. Savard was stopped by police as he drove his car near his Point-aux-Trembles home. Police claimed the three men had beaten and threatened Carl Gagnon, because he refused to stage an armed robbery so he could pay back a hefty debt. Once again, the charges would be dropped. On July 7, 2000, Savard and reputed loanshark Normand Descoteaux met for breakfast at a north end restaurant. They were seated at a table by a window when two masked men barged into the establishment. They walked up to the table and gunned down Savard. The hitmen then turned their weapons on Descoteaux, who allegedly grabbed a nearby waitress and used her as a human shield. Several shots were fired, hitting the woman three times in a leg and once in an arm. Descoteaux received minor injuries. Helene Brunet, the waitress that Descoteaux used as a shield, would suffer permanent injuries from the incident and would file a law suit against him and Hells Angel Maurice "Mom" Boucher, claiming they were responsible for her injuries. The day before his murder, Savard had allegedly been spotted having breakfast with Mom Boucher. |