Hitman Allegedly Offered $71,400 to Kill Montreal Crime Reporter

A hitman was allegedly offered C$100,000 ($71,400; £56,000) to assassinate Daniel Renaud, a crime reporter at Montreal’s La Presse, the newspaper has revealed.

Convicted killer Frédérick Silva confessed to La Presse that he had issued the contract during his 2021 trial for three murders and an attempted murder. Renaud was reporting on Silva’s case at the time. Silva, who was convicted in 2022 and later became a police informant, admitted to approaching two prominent organized crime figures to execute the plot.

According to Silva, the figures were reluctant, warning that targeting a journalist was a poor decision. The contract, which remained active for two months, was eventually canceled by Silva, who said he had “more important issues to deal with.”

The revelation came to light after La Presse reviewed Silva’s police confession, in which he detailed his full criminal history as part of his agreement to become an informant.

Quebec Premier François Legault condemned the assassination attempt, calling it shocking and unacceptable. “It makes no sense that in Quebec – we are not in a movie – there is a contract placed on the head of a journalist because he does his job,” Legault said. “This is not the Quebec we want.” He urged law enforcement to intensify efforts against organized crime.

Renaud, shaken by the news, expressed disbelief. “I don’t censor myself, but I always exercise restraint to avoid putting lives in danger. I never thought I could be the target of a contract like this,” he said.

Vincent Marissal, a former La Presse journalist and now a provincial politician with Québec Solidaire, praised Renaud’s professionalism. “He’s a very rigorous person, not one to make a lot of noise, but clearly effective in his work. That’s no excuse to have a price put on his head.”

Silva is currently serving a life sentence.