Seven months before the mass killing in rural Saskatchewan, a parole officer ruled that the prime suspect was not a danger and that his release would help him become a “law-abiding citizen.”
A Feb. 1 decision by the Parole Board of Canada found Miles Sanderson “will not pose an unreasonable risk” and his release will “contribute to the protection of society” by facilitating his reintegration.
“The board is satisfied that your risk is manageable in the community if you live with your [blacked out] maintain sobriety and employment and continue to develop supports, including receiving therapy,” the board wrote.
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Sanderson became the target of a massive police manhunt after 11 people were killed and 19 injured on the James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon, Sask.
Among the dead was Sanderson’s brother Damien, who was also wanted.
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Police said little about Sanderson, other than he had a significant criminal record, was last seen in Regina and was wanted on an arrest warrant for three counts of first-degree murder after Sunday’s stabbings.
But his parole record recounts nearly two decades of crimes, as well as drug and alcohol abuse and ties to gang members, pimps and drug dealers.
Although he is only 31 years old, he has 59 convictions since he turned 18.
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His most recent convictions are for assault, assault with a weapon, assault on a police officer, uttering threats, mischief and robbery.
According to parole records obtained by Global News, in July 2017, Sanderson showed up at his ex-girlfriend’s house and “acted in a threatening manner, made gang comments and damaged property.”
While the children hid in a bathtub, he punched a hole in the bathroom door before going outside and throwing a cement block through the side window of a car. He fled before the police arrived.
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Days later, during an argument with an employee at a “First Nations band shop,” Sanderson “tried to fight the victim and then threatened to kill him and burn down his parents’ house.” The police were again unable to locate him.
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In November 2017, he threatened an accomplice by hitting him in the head with a firearm and stomping on his head. He then had an accomplice rob a fast-food restaurant at gunpoint, his parole records show.
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The following April, while drinking at home, he stabbed two men with a fork. He then went outside and beat a victim who was passed out in a ditch. Sanderson returned to the home and kicked in the door.
He was finally arrested in June 2018 after telling police they would have to shoot him. As he was being loaded into a police car, he repeatedly kicked a police officer in the face and head, the parole board wrote.
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His sentence totaled four years, four months and 19 days, along with 12 months of probation.
During his time in federal prison, Sanderson “participated in programs and cultural activities and engaged with elders,” records show. It was “reported to have made gains.”
In February 2021, he was moved to a healing lodge. He was released in August 2021 on parole.
The Parole Board said in a statement that statutory release is mandatory after offenders have served two-thirds of their sentence.
But Sanderson’s statutory parole was suspended in November 2021 when he was caught lying to his parole officer. Three months later, the Parole Board revoked the suspension.
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In its 10-page decision, the board wrote that while Sanderson had a “significant journey” ahead and needed to stay sober and receive therapy, he had “made attempts” to deal with his emotional and addiction issues.
“To your credit, it appears that you have maintained sobriety, found employment, engaged a therapist, participated in cultural ceremonies, obtained a home for your family, and appear to be making good progress in reintegration,” the Board wrote.
“It is the opinion of the Board that you will not pose an undue risk to society if you are lawfully released and that your release will further the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen,” the decision read.
Upon his release, Sanderson is required to abstain from alcohol or drugs, follow a treatment plan, avoid his victims and their families, and have no contact with his children, as well as a person identified only by the initials VB
By May, however, Sanderson was listed by Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers as “unlawfully at large” and was last seen in Saskatoon, about 200 kilometers southwest of the scene of Sunday’s mass murders.
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According to his parole records, Sanderson spent his childhood bouncing between family members. After his parents separated when he was 9, he lived with his father, who was allegedly abusive to his girlfriend.
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He then moved in with his paternal grandparents, but moved back in with his father at the age of 11 “due to an abusive environment”. For the rest of his adolescence, he moved back and forth between his mother and father.
A psychological report said his upbringing “created a sense of abandonment and a feeling of not being wanted”, which it said played a role in his criminal behaviour.
He started drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana at the age of 12 and began using cocaine at 14. In his mid-teens, he fathered an estranged child. He may have once been a gang member, his parole records show.
He had five other children but said alcohol had damaged his relationship with their mother “and there were reports of domestic violence in that relationship and a no-contact order had been imposed as a result of previous domestic violence”.
“Given your local background, the Board notes that there are factors in your background that may have contributed to your involvement in the criminal justice system,” according to the Parole Board’s decision.
These include the intergenerational impact of residential schools, neglect, exposure to substance abuse, the experience of domestic violence in childhood, family fragmentation, lack of education, and the loss of culture and spirituality.
A psychological report completed in October 2020 said Sanderson had reported past struggles with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, and he believed he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
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The psychologist said Sanderson had been taking psychotropic medication to deal with attention deficit issues and found there was a moderate risk he would reoffend.
RCMP said Monday that Sanderson may have been injured. Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said he is “very confident” Sanderson was spotted in the city on Sunday.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
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