Woman charged with murder in Old Montreal cryptocurrency kidnapping case

A woman has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the quadruple kidnapping linked to cryptocurrency in late June in Old Montreal.

Joanie Lepage, 32, is charged with the first-degree murder of cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi, 25, on June 21 in Les Cèdres, a municipality in Quebec’s Montérégie region.

Mirshahi was kidnapped early in the morning of June 21 from a luxury condo on de la Commune Street. Three other people who were also present were kidnapped.

Fearing for the lives of those missing, authorities launched a major police operation to find them.

In their search, Laval, Que., police found a burned-out SUV that is believed to have been used to transport the victims.

The three other kidnapping victims, were found 24 hours later in good health near a bus stop in Montreal’s west end.

Thanks to their testimonies, police were able to locate a home in Les Cèdres, where the alleged murder is believed to have occurred in a basement.

Lepage, previously unknown to police, appeared Thursday at the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield courthouse.

The woman is also accused of forcibly confining, imprisoning or seizing the four victims, according to the arrest warrant issued against her.