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Crown Court judge Eric McLean sentenced Anthony Bilodeau in front of a packed courtroom on Friday
Photo illustration of Maurice Cardinal, right, and Jacob Sansom, left. jpg
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An Alberta farmer who shot and killed two mixed race hunters after his father chased them down a public road has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 13 years.
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Crown Court Judge Eric McLean sentenced Anthony Bilodeau in front of a packed courtroom on Friday, saying Bilodeau killed “two innocent men who were doing nothing more than celebrating a successful day providing food for others.”
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“He brought a gun at his father’s direction without questioning the need for it or the full circumstances,” McLean said. “Within seconds he loaded and cocked his rifle and shot Jacob Sansom in the chest and shot Maurice Cardinal three times.”
Bilodeau, 34, and his father, Roger, were convicted last May of killing Sansom and Cardinal on March 27, 2020, after Roger and his younger son, Joseph, chased them for seven kilometers in Roger’s pickup truck.
Jurors found Roger guilty of manslaughter in the deaths of the two men, while Anthony was convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter for the murders of Cardinal and Sansom, respectively.
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McLean sentenced Rodger to 10 years in prison last August.
The Bilodeos claimed they pursued Sansom and Cardinal because they feared rural crime and believed the men wanted to steal their property. Sansom and Cardinal had actually spent the day hunting elk and delivering meat to friends and relatives.
“They were both important members of their families and followers of their communities,” McLean said. “They were people who respected Mother Earth and knew their culture. They inspired many.”
The fact that both victims were local residents had a profound effect on public perception of the trial. Parallels have been drawn with the Colten Boushie case, in which Saskatchewan farmer Gerald Stanley was acquitted of killing Indigenous people after claiming self-defence. Debbie Baptiste, Bouchy’s mother, herself attended Bilodeau’s trial on the day of the jury’s verdict.
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The father told his son to bring a gun
The pursuit began after Sansom briefly slowed his truck near Roger’s farm in the Glendon area after 9 p.m. on the day of the murder. Roger and Joseph saw the headlights and ran after the unknown vehicle. During the chase, Roger called Anthony, who lived on a nearby farm, and told him they were after “thieves” and that he should bring a gun.
When Roger caught up to Sansom’s truck, he aggressively pulled in front to cut him off. He later admitted that he tried to run over Sansom after he got out of his vehicle but got stuck in a ditch.
Seconds after narrowly avoiding the Bilodeau truck, Sansom punched the passenger side window, causing it to shatter. Anthony and Joseph Bilodeau claim that he tried to strangle both Joseph and Roger, yelling at Cardinal to get a knife so he could “skin” them.
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Anthony then arrived and shot Sansom as he approached. He fired twice at Cardinal, then stopped and shot him a third time while he was still moving on the ground. Anthony claimed that Cardinal had a gun, although evidence at trial showed that Cardinal’s weapon was found in the backseat of his truck with the magazine removed.
The murders were captured by a security camera at a nearby natural gas plant.
Jacob Sansom (left) and his uncle, Maurice Cardinal, were shot and killed by Anthony Bilodeau on March 27, 2020, after Bilodeau’s father, Roger, began a seven-mile chase. Photo by Supplied /00099292A
The Bilodeaus say they didn’t call the RCMP because it would take too long for them to arrive. However, during cross-examination, Kerr brought out that neither Anthony nor Roger had called the police about trespassing on their farms.
Kerr also claims that Sansom never assaulted Joseph or Roger and that Anthony was simply lying to protect himself and his family. Anthony admitted that he destroyed the rifle and left it in the dump after shooting Sansom and Cardinal, and that he lied to police about being home at the time of the shooting.
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“This is a unique case”
Second-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for 10 to 25 years. Murder carries no maximum and minimum penalty unless a firearm was used.
Defense attorney Brian Beresch argued for the minimum sentence possible: four years for manslaughter to be served concurrently with the life sentence. He recommended a 10-year non-parole period. He argued that the case had nothing to do with race because the Bilodeaus didn’t know who they were after.
Beresch said his client, a heavy-duty mechanic by trade, was a husband and father who was deeply devoted to his large family, which included nine siblings. He is also a devout Catholic and ministered to other inmates while in custody.
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“This is a unique case. I couldn’t find anything like that in Canadian jurisprudence,” said Beresch, describing an otherwise “prosocial” person “who, through no conduct of his own or thought of his own, is drawn for a very short period of time into a volatile situation.”
“He’s drawn into this not out of malice toward anyone … but out of his devotion and love for his father.”
“It is clear that his father is completely wrong in his assessment of what is happening. But this fault cannot be visited by Anthony.
Thirty-four people submitted letters of reference on Anthony’s behalf.
The Crown argued for a 15-year non-parole period, on top of the 12-15 years for manslaughter, which Kerr said under Canadian law must be served concurrently with the life sentence.
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Sarah Sansom is comforted by William Cardinal outside the Alberta Courts in Edmonton, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2023. Sansom’s husband Jacob Sansom, a Métis hunter, was killed in Glendon, Alberta in 2020. Photo by David Blum/Postmedia
Kerr called the crime “a senseless, tragic loss of life that will no doubt affect many people for generations.” He said the evidence indicated any confrontation was largely over when Anthony appeared and cocked his rifle.
Bilodeau briefly addressed the court, telling McLean that “on my behalf, Mr. Beresch offered my remorse to the court.”
Outside court, Beresch said he plans to appeal the sentence and predicted it would go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Roger Bilodeau is also attractive.
“We are disappointed with the final sentence that was imposed,” he said. “We think it’s higher than it should have been. But this is one of those cases that is so unique that there will obviously be an appeal.
Family and supporters of Sansom and Cardinal hugged and shed tears after court as a band drummed and sang.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Andrea Sandmeier of the Métis Nation of Alberta thanked supporters and the Crown.
“All the days since that day have been really difficult for this family and for the community,” she said. “No amount of justice will ever ease their pain or bring the boys back.”
Bilodeau has been in custody since March 31, 2020, and will receive early credit toward his sentence for each day served.
jwakefield@postmedia.com
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