Anthony Bilodeau has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of two Métis hunters in 2020.
Court of King’s Bench Justice Eric Macklin imposed the sentence on 34-year-old Bilodeau in front of a packed courtroom Friday, saying Bilodeau killed “two innocent men doing no more than celebrating a successful day providing food to others.”
Macklin granted the Bilodeau 33 months credit for time already served.
“He brought a gun, at the direction of his father, without questioning its need or the full circumstances,” Macklin said. “Within seconds, he loaded and racked his rifle and shot Jacob Sansom in the chest, and shot Maurice Cardinal three times.”
“Jacob Sansom and Maurice Cardinal were also pillars of their communities,” the judge said. “They were hunters and teachers for their families as well as their communities”
Bilodeau and his father Roger were convicted last May of killing Sansom and Cardinal on March 27, 2020, after Roger and his younger son Joseph pursued them for seven kilometres in Roger’s pickup.
Macklin sentenced Roger to 10 years in prison last August.
The Bilodeaus claimed they chased Sansom and Cardinal because they were scared of rural crime and believed the men wanted to steal from their property. Sansom and Cardinal had in fact spent the day hunting moose and delivering meat to friends and relatives.
The small Edmonton courtroom was packed with family and supporters of both the two victims and the convicted killer, and a group of supporters of Sansom, 39, and Cardinal, 57, waited outside the courthouse as well.
A jury found Roger guilty of manslaughter in both men’s deaths, while Anthony was convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter for killing Cardinal and Sansom, respectively.
The victims’ supporters held each other and wept when the sentence was read out. Though the family has been outspoken throughout the court case, they said they need time to process before commenting on the sentence.
“All the days since that day have been really tough for this family and this community and no amount of justice will ever ease their pain or bring the boys back,” said Andrea Sandmaier, president for Region 2 of the Métis Nation of Alberta, speaking outside the courthouse.
