Two Metis moose hunters

[schleprock]

The killings took place in front of a cnrl building that had a security camera covering the area. The video won't be of great quality because this happened at night, but it will show the event although somewhat blurry. The bottom line is that two people were shot and their bodies were left in the ditch while the others drove home. I keep hearing what fine, god fearing people the Bilodeau family is, but however this went down, the police should have been notified immediately and not four days later. I myself believe that if the father's teenage son hadn't been there with his dad to witness the event, the other son wouldn't have turned himself in as the they couldn't trust him not to ever say anything. There was nothing stolen in the back of the victims truck and their rifles were cased in the back seat. Mr Bilodeau made a public statement to the community and I asked my friend who informed me of it if two weeks later if the story had changed at all. He told me yes, and that the deceased were on the farmyard three times and not twice. The third time was to ask for permission to hunt on the Bilodeau land. But like everyone else, I will find out more after the trial and see if the public statement holds true.

[roper1]

Such a tragedy for both families. Rural Albertans are on edge, the guys in the Security business will tell you that. Sales are through the roof!! Uninvited people on private property at very high levels.

Had a gal in our yard the other night, asking for a family that I've never heard of. Then she made a comment "honest mistake, I'm not scoping out your place"

We have a long driveway, we've had visitors in the middle of the night drive in, spot the cameras, and leave in a hurry.

[Mb-MBR]

It does not matter how this plays out, there are those that are going to defend both sides regardless which way the judge/courts rule. As evidenced by comments in this thread.

Tragic for both families but one side still have their members and the other doesn't.

[IR_mike]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

How do you know they were just out hunting?

Having a dead moose hanging at the place the 2 men left before the incident happened is a good indication of hunting prior..

They were returning to there residences when the shooting happened, not hunting at the time of the incident.

[Grizzly Adams1]

Thought there was supposed to be a trial, they just entered a plea, not guilty.

Grizz

[plaerzen]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

implying he knows something we do not, which is that they were out hunting.

who is this "we"?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...etis-1.6454752
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...l-alberta.html
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...-metis-hunters
https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/trial-to...erta-1.5904795

count how many times hunting is mentioned.

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by IR_mike

Having a dead moose hanging at the place the 2 men left before the incident happened is a good indication of hunting prior..

They were returning to there residences when the shooting happened, not hunting at the time of the incident.

Ignore that trolling comment.
I have yet to hear the name Bilodeau without first being preceeded by an expletive.
I would like see all the anti Metis commenters say they stand corrected at the conclusion of the trial, but I know that won't happen.

[7magtime]

Originally Posted by JDK71

dose anyone know what time of day this happened just cant find it anywhere

Approximately 9:45pm, sunset that day was 7:52pm....

[JDK71]

Thanks

[7magtime]

Originally Posted by IR_mike

Having a dead moose hanging at the place the 2 men left before the incident happened is a good indication of hunting prior..

They were returning to there residences when the shooting happened, not hunting at the time of the incident.

They were hunting earlier in the day by Seibert but all of the news reports on the incident suggest they were still hunting when the altercation took place. Sunset that day was 7:52 pm and the incident happened around 9:45pm, doesn't seem that they were hunting still if it was dark already?

In relation to where they were processing the moose they had harvested earlier that day, Cardinal's residence they were staying at in Bonnyville is the opposite direction from where the Bilodeau's farm is.

[DirtShooter]

Originally Posted by 7magtime

They were hunting earlier in the day by Seibert but all of the news reports on the incident suggest they were still hunting when the altercation took place. Sunset that day was 7:52 pm and the incident happened around 9:45pm, doesn't seem that they were hunting still if it was dark already?

In relation to where they were processing the moose they had harvested earlier that day, Cardinal's residence they were staying at in Bonnyville is the opposite direction from where the Bilodeau's farm is.

Every year lots of animals are "hunted" after hours in AB.

[7magtime]

Originally Posted by DirtShooter

Every year lots of animals are "hunted" after hours in AB.

Agree but even First Nations/Metis need permission to hunt on private land last I checked?
There is no crown land near the Bilodeau's farm to exercise their rights, just a couple grazing leases in the area.....

[bat119]

Let's make it simple there is no justifiable reason for someone in Canada to shoot down two people on a gravel road, doesn't matter what they were doing or where they're from.

We will have all the answers after the trial ends

[Talking moose]

If I shot people in self defence or thought my life was in imminent danger, the very next action I took would be a 911 call.
Any delay in notifying the authorities reeks of guilt in some form or another.
There is no fathomable explanation to delay that.
Everyone knows that.

[jef612]

Originally Posted by bat119

Let's make it simple there is no justifiable reason for someone in Canada to shoot down two people on a gravel road, doesn't matter what they were doing or where they're from.

We will have all the answers after the trial ends

You are 100% wrong in your first statement. If your life is in danger, and you have no other option, self defense is justifiable.

Again - I like many other people here have no knowledge of the case, so I am not making any inferences to this particular case. But in general - self defense with a firearm in Canada is highly scrutinized - but there are provisions for this type of situation.

[jef612]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

If I shot people in self defence or thought my life was in imminent danger, the very next action I took would be a 911 call.
Any delay in notifying the authorities reeks of guilt in some form or another.
There is no fathomable explanation to delay that.
Everyone knows that.

I disagree. There are many situations where I would not call anyone about anything other than my lawyer. 911 is not there to help you if you defend yourself with a firearm. You will be arrested immediately.

Would this raise suspicion? Probably. That said - not illegal or incriminating on its own.

[JDK71]

Anyway this goes it will be interesting booze gun assault murder a lot happened true or not

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by jef612

I disagree. There are many situations where I would not call anyone about anything other than my lawyer. 911 is not there to help you if you defend yourself with a firearm. You will be arrested immediately.

Would this raise suspicion? Probably. That said - not illegal or incriminating on its own.

I get that they aren’t there to defend you. They will be looking for ways to lock you up. But delaying the call will make it worse. If you plan on telling the exact truth that is….

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

If I shot people in self defence or thought my life was in imminent danger, the very next action I took would be a 911 call.
Any delay in notifying the authorities reeks of guilt in some form or another.
There is no fathomable explanation to delay that.
Everyone knows that.

You are right, but there are other things to consider.

to be completely honest I think the entire situation would be so horrific I do not know what I would do. I would be in shock. Seeing someone lying dead from your hand, and not being a soldier cop or anyone licensed to do something I would likely be unable to do anything coherent.

Sure never want to be in that situation. We all talk real tough and say all the things we would could should do but when your ears are ringing and there is a lifeless body all the bravado may be gone forever.

Knowing what comes next may force your brain and body into doing something you never thought you were capable of, be it pulling a trigger or running and hiding.

It's all terrible, horrible.

[elkhunter11]

The only information that I have about the incident, is from the news releases and although I have no idea as to the actual sequence of events, it is mentioned that the people that were killed had 2x and 3x the legal alcohol limit in them. So there were intoxicated people driving one vehicle while in possession of firearms, and another family with a bad reputation carrying a firearm in the other vehicles, it shouldn't be a huge surprise that a violent confrontation broke out.

[leo]

Folks,
This is a tragic situation that took place. 2 families lives are forever changed. Let the courts and lawyers deal with the case. We here are not going to judge either party because none here know the entire truth. Keep the discussion relevant to what we do know. Speculation and off topic discussion will be deleted. Off the wall comments will end in an infraction.
Thank you,

[JDK71]

the mod said it best we should leave it at that

[bat119]

Originally Posted by jef612

If your life is in danger, and you have no other option, self defense is justifiable.

Maybe in Texas or in the movies not in Canada unless it's on your own property even that's a stretch.

[jef612]

Originally Posted by bat119

Maybe in Texas or in the movies not in Canada unless it's on your own property even that's a stretch.

Wrong again

[sns2]

[urban rednek]

Here are 2 media reports of yesterdays court proceedings:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...ilty-1.6455806

Accused in fatal shooting of Métis hunters in rural Alberta plead not guilty
Jury views video of confrontation on first day of Roger and Anthony Bilodeau 2nd-degree murder trial
Janice Johnston · CBC News · Posted: May 16, 2022 7:40 PM MT

An Edmonton jury will have to decide if the fatal shooting of two Métis hunters was a deliberate crime or an act of self-defence.

In March 2020, Jacob Sansom, 39, and his uncle Maurice Cardinal, 57, were gunned down in a remote location outside of Glendon, Alta., about 215 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

Roger Bilodeau, 58, and his son Anthony, 33, are both charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Sansom and Cardinal. Both men pleaded not guilty Monday in Edmonton Court of Queen's Bench.

Sansom and Cardinal spent Friday, March 27, hunting moose. They arrived at a friend's house and began skinning and cutting the animal they killed earlier in the day.

The jury heard that a group of five shared a 15-pack of beer at the first house and then Sansom and Cardinal left their friends to go to another nearby residence.

Crown prosecutor Jordan Kerr told the jury that the hunters passed by the rural property owned by Roger Bilodeau.

"As he drove past the property, he slowed down and possibly stopped briefly and then continued to drive his truck south," Kerr said in his opening statement Monday afternoon.

"Roger and his son Joseph were inside the house near a window looking out toward the roadway when Sansom slowed down or stopped."

Kerr said Bilodeau was "deeply suspicious" because earlier in the day, the family had seen a couple of similar-looking vehicles on their property.

Roger Bilodeau decided to chase the vehicle down. He got in his truck with his 16-year-old son Joseph and began a pursuit that lasted for about six minutes and reached a speed of 152 km/h.

The jury heard that along the way, Bilodeau called his son Anthony, who lived nearby.

"These sons of bitches are coming to steal or do something," the Crown said Bilodeau told his son.

Kerr said Bilodeau told Anthony to bring a gun because he was not armed and he didn't know if the others were.

The two vehicles stopped at a T intersection that happened to be next to a building with a motion-activated surveillance camera.

The entire altercation was captured on video with no sound that was played for the jury.

'Please don't kill my dad'

It will be up to the jury to decide exactly what happened in the lead up to the fatal shootings.

The Crown said Sansom got out of his truck and approached the rear of Bilodeau's vehicle. Roger Bilodeau put his truck in reverse, forcing Sansom to move to avoid getting hit. The Crown said Sansom did not appear to be armed.

Kerr said Sansom went to the passenger side and appeared to hit the window a number of times.

Roger Bilodeau's defence lawyer Shawn Gerstel said Sansom "smashed the window on the passenger side with his bare fist" and then began attacking Bilodeau's teenaged son in the passenger seat and tried to pull him out of the vehicle.

Gerstel said an autopsy revealed that Sansom had a blood alcohol content level that was 2.9 times the legal driving limit at the time of his death. Cardinal's level was 1.7 times the legal limit.

"Mr. Sansom was also observed with his forearm across Roger's neck, choking him according to Joseph," Gerstel said. "During the attack you will hear that Joseph was screaming and pleading with Mr. Sansom and I quote, 'Please don't kill my dad. Please don't hurt him.'"

Two minutes after the first two vehicles came to a stop at the intersection, Anthony Bilodeau pulled up and got out of his truck.

Gerstel said the video shows Sansom "charging" toward Anthony.

The defence lawyer alleges that at that point, Cardinal retrieved a firearm.

"Joseph will tell you that as Sansom moved towards Anthony, he said, 'I'm going to f--king kill you.'"

Sansom was shot once in the chest. His body was left in the middle of the road.

An autopsy showed Cardinal died from one or more of the three distinctive wounds to his left shoulder. His body was left in a ditch.

After a brief conversation, the Bilodeaus left the scene. The victims' bodies were discovered hours later when an area resident was driving home.

Key issue for jury

The Crown alleges that Roger Bilodeau "clearly anticipated a confrontation" when he recruited his son and told him to bring a gun.

"Anthony Bilodeau's actions were in no way justified killings," Kerr told the jury. "There is no self-defence here."

But the defence insisted that Roger Bilodeau only wanted to find out why the vehicle had stopped on his property and that he never expected a violent confrontation.

"At no point did he expect anyone to be shot or hurt," Gerstel said.

The trial is scheduled to last two weeks.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...l-alberta.html

‘No way justified:’ Murder trial told farmer, son assumed Metis hunters were thieves
By Fakiha Baig
The Canadian Press Mon., May 16, 2022

EDMONTON - A Crown prosecutor has told a murder trial that an Alberta farmer and his son followed and shot two Métis hunters assuming they were thieves who had earlier driven onto the family’s property.

A lawyer for the farmer says the killings were in self defence.

The jury trial began in Edmonton on Monday for Roger Bilodeau, 58, and his son Anthony Bilodeau, 33, who have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the deaths of Jacob Sansom and Maurice Cardinal.

Sansom, 39, and his 59-year-old uncle were found dead on a rural road near Glendon, northeast of Edmonton, in March 2020.

Prosecutor Jordan Kerr said in his opening statement that Sansom had driven from his home in southern Alberta and dropped his three children off at his mother’s home in Bonnyville. He and his uncle then went moose hunting so they could fill the family’s freezer with meat.

Kerr said the older Bilodeau saw the hunters’ pickup truck slowly go by his home,and it looked like one that had been on his property that day. While following the hunters in his truck, Bilodeau phoned his son and asked him to follow behind and to bring a gun, said the prosecutor.

Security footage from a nearby gas station shows the Bilodeau men in their trucks following Sansom and Cardinal in their truck, Kerr added.

Roger Bilodeau and the hunters first stopped their trucks on the road.

Anthony Bilodeau arrived soon after. Within 26 seconds, he shot Sansom, then shot Cardinal as the hunter was walking to his truck, said Kerr.

The Bilodeaus then drove away.

A motorist called RCMP after finding Sansom dead in the middle of the road and Cardinal’s body in a ditch.

Autopsies determined that Sansom was shot once in the chest and Cardinal was shot three times in his shoulder, said Kerr.

“These were in no way justified killings,” Kerr said.

“Anthony Bilodeau freely made the decision to arm himself and to join in a pursuit on a public highway, simply because his father had suspected somebody might be trying to steal from him.

“Roger Bilodeau clearly anticipated having a confrontation at the end of the chase, when he recruited his son Anthony Bilodeau into joining the pursuit and bringing a firearm.”

Defence lawyer Shawn Gerstel said Roger Bilodeau followed the hunters because a similar truck had gone onto his property earlier in the day while his wife was home alone. There were also concerns about property crime in the area.

Gerstel said Anthony Bilodeau shot at the hunters because Sansom had smashed a window of his father’s truck and punched his father multiple times.

“Along with the video, you will see the shirt that Roger wore that evening. The collar of Roger’s shirt is torn half off. Mr. Sansom’s blood was located on three distinct areas of Roger’s shirt,” Gerstel said.

“(Roger Bildoeau) asked for a gun for protection because he didn’t know who he was dealing with.”

Gerstel also said the hunters were drunk, loud and obnoxious. He said a medical examiner is to testify that Sansom had a blood alcohol level that was nearly threetimes the legal driving limit, and Cardinal’s blood alcohol limit was nearly two times the limit.

James Sansom testified he had never seen his brother miss a target during a hunt, and he was also a talented martial artist who was good at de-escalating situations.

The trial is to continue Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2022.

---

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version had the Crown lawyer’s last name wrong.

[Ken07AOVette]

right now would be a good time to lock the thread for 2 weeks.

See what the Judge decides is true.

[JDK71]

Great idea

[jef612]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

right now would be a good time to lock the thread for 2 weeks.

See what the Judge decides is true.

For the first time in 8 pages - there is something to actually discuss

[jef612]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canad...1e74eff96b2958


EDMONTON — A hunter's wife has testified she texted her husband not to drink and drive or get in a fight the night he and his uncle were shot to death on a rural Alberta road.

Sarah Sansom told a jury trial in Edmonton on Tuesday that alcohol consumption had previously caused problems in her marriage with Jacob Sansom, who had quit drinking two years before his death.

Crown lawyers have said Jacob Sansom and his uncle Maurice Cardinal were followed on a rural road northeast of Edmonton in March 2020 and shot after a confrontation.

Roger Bilodeau, 58, and his son Anthony Bilodeau, 33, have pleaded not guilty to two counts each of second-degree murder.

Brian Beresh, the younger Bilodeau's lawyer, recounted a statement Sarah Sansom gave to police and read text messages she sent moments before a security camera captured her husband and the Bilodeaus as they confronted each other.

"You recall repeatedly telling the police that you were surprised or shocked when you learned that he had been drinking," asked Beresh.
"Yes," Sarah Sansom responded.

"You're saying, 'Don't drive,'" he said, quoting the text messages she sent.

"Then you add, 'No fighting, no driving … Please don't hurt yourself or (do) anything dangerous or illegal' … because you knew that when he drank he had a tendency to become aggressive, correct?" Beresh asked.

"He wasn't aggressive. He just did stupid things like fighting very rarely," Sarah Sansom responded.

"He got stupid sometimes, and did stupid things," she later added during cross-examination.

"It was like falling down a set of stairs and stumbling all over the house … and making himself look stupid."

Prosecutor Jordan Kerr said in his opening statement Monday that Sansom and Cardinal had gone moose hunting so they could fill the family's freezer with meat as COVID-19 was shutting down the world.

He said the older Bilodeau saw the hunters' pickup truck slowly go by his homeand it looked like one that had been on his property that day. While following the hunters in his truck, Bilodeau phoned his son and asked him to follow behind and to bring a gun, said the prosecutor.

Security footage from a nearby gas station shows the Bilodeau men in their trucks following Sansom and Cardinal in theirs, Kerr said.

Court heard Roger Bilodeau and the hunters first stopped their trucks on the road. Anthony Bilodeau arrived soon after. Within 26 seconds, he shot Sansom, then shot Cardinal as the hunter was walking to his truck, said Kerr.

A motorist called RCMP after finding Sansom dead in the middle of the road and Cardinal's body in a ditch.

Autopsies determined that Sansom was shot once in the chest and Cardinal was shot three times in his left shoulder, said Kerr.

Defence lawyer Shawn Gerstel said Anthony Bilodeau shot at the hunters because Sansom had smashed a window of Roger Bilodeau's truck and punched him. He had also punched his youngest son, who was 16 at the time and was sitting in the passenger seat, the lawyer said.

He said the hunters were drunk, loud and obnoxious.

On Tuesday, Sarah Sansom testified that she told police following her husband's death that she felt the Bonnyville area had a lot of "toxicity."

"Bad stuff always happened when we go out there," she said on the witness stand.

She recounted the time her husband had confronted gang members who were selling drugs to his brother.

"Now (he) is sober and he thanks Jake for that."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2022.