A man arrested shortly after a woman was allegedly pushed to her death from the third-storey balcony of a Montreal apartment building could see the charge against him get upgraded.
BACKGROUND: Woman pushed from third-floor balcony in Montreal has died
James Theramene of Laval is facing an aggravated assault charge in the New Year’s Day death of Tadjan’ah Desir.
An anti-domestic violence organization has identified the accused and victim, both 31 years old, as ex-partners.
Theramene was expected in court Wednesday, but the case was postponed until Monday.
Desir died in hospital after allegedly being pushed from the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve apartment during what a witness told police was a confrontation.
The SPVM has called it the first murder of 2026 in the Montreal area.
It happened around 8:15 a.m. on Sainte-Catherine Street near Jeanne-d’Arc Avenue.
Theramene was arrested at the scene. The allegation against him has not been tested in court.
SPVM cruiser near Sainte-Catherine Street East and Jeanne-d’Arc Boulevard in Montreal’s Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough, near the site where a 31-year-old woman was allegedly pushed from a third-floor balcony on Jan. 1, 2026 (Jonathan Nudell, CityNews)
