Romeo Cormier has violent past

The man accused of kidnapping and confining a 54-year-old grandmother from Moncton has a criminal past.

Romeo Jacques Cormier, 62, of Moncton, appeared in court Thursday charged with kidnapping, unlawful confinement, sexual assault, theft of money using violence, assault with a weapon and uttering threats.

He was involved in at least two previous violent incidents in the city.

Rob Arbeau said he met Cormier in prison.

"He's been in for these kind of charges before. I've done time with him," Arbeau told CBC News.

His name first appears in a newspaper report from 1984.

The story describes a robbery where Cormier broke into the home of an elderly couple while they were in bed. He terrorized them, holding a knife to their throats.

He also had a 24-inch machete, which he swung at them and told them, "I make my living by killing. I like blood."

The husband managed to escape and called the police.

Cormier was given a 4½-year sentence and prohibited from owning a weapon for five years.

In 1994, he was found guilty of armed robbery and unlawful confinement after he tried to rob a Moncton liquor store at gunpoint.

During the robbery, Cormier pressed the gun against a customer's head and told the clerk: "This customer's life is in your hands. So hurry up and give me the money."

Cormier then fired a shot into the ceiling.

At his trial, Cormier told the judge: "I want you to hang me today."

He was sent to prison for five years.