Alberta man who killed Métis hunters sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 13 years

An Alberta man was sentenced on Friday to life in prison without parole eligibility for 13 years in the second-degree murder of Métis hunter Maurice Cardinal.

Anthony Bilodeau was also sentenced to eight years for the manslaughter death of Jacob Sansom. The sentences will be served concurrently. 

Court of King's Bench Justice Eric Macklin granted the 34-year-old 33 months credit for time already served.

While noting that Anthony's prospect of rehabilitation is high, Macklin said the sentence needed to reflect the tragic consequences of the crime.

"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"

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. 

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.

Anthony's father Roger Bilodeau was sentenced last year to 10 years for his own manslaughter convictions in the two men's March 2020 shooting deaths.

The father and son were found guilty last May in the deaths of Sansom and Cardinal, who were shot and killed on a rural Alberta road after a brief pursuit. 

During the trial, the jury heard that while Roger was the initial pursuer of the two hunters, his son who he called to help was the one who shot both victims.

The Crown had previously told the court the killings were a case of the Bilodeaus taking the law into their own hands and Sansom and Cardinal had done nothing wrong. 

Court previously heard that Sansom and Cardinal had spent March 27, 2020, moose hunting, then socializing with friends.

A second-degree murder conviction comes with an automatic life sentence. Prosecutor Jordan Kerr argued that Anthony should not be eligible to apply for parole for 15 years.