Sask. stabbing inquest hears mass killer met most markers of psychopathy

A criminal psychologist says the man who committed a brutal mass killing in Saskatchewan in 2022 met nearly all the markers of psychopathy.

A criminal psychologist says the man who committed a brutal mass killing in Saskatchewan in 2022 met nearly all the markers of psychopathy.

As the first week of the coroner’s investigation into the stabbing spree committed by Myles Sanderson in the communities of James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon came to a close on Friday, the inquest heard details about the killer from an expert in investigative criminal psychology.

Matt Logan, also a former RCMP staff sergeant, cited evidence from a psychologist who assessed Sanderson in 2020. It detailed a childhood rife with abuse and instability.

“He was bounced back and forth between two homes between his mother's home and his father's home and also to his grandparents Ernie and Lillian Sanderson’s home,” said Logan.

“He had abuse, allegedly, abuse at that home, where his grandfather threatened to shoot him and he left and went back to his father's home. This happened a number of times during his childhood and early adolescence.”

Sanderson reportedly had difficulty maintaining stable employment, and would often not show up for work or “might not show up willing to work.”

While serving time in prison, Sanderson worked as a COVID-19 cleaner, the inquest heard. There was no indication that Sanderson was involved in gangs as an adult.