Alberta farmer convicted in deaths of Métis hunters has day parole extended

An Alberta farmer convicted of manslaughter in the deaths of Métis hunters Jacob Sansom and Maurice Cardinal in 2020 has been granted extended day parole.

The Parole Board of Canada declined Roger Bilodeau's request for full parole in an Oct. 28 decision.

The board instead extended Bilodeau's day parole for three months and ordered a panel hearing to again review his eligibility for full parole.  

The board concluded a panel hearing is needed to better assess the risks of granting Bilodeau full parole due to the "high-risk" interactions he could face in the community due to his crimes.

Sansom and Cardinal were shot and killed on a rural Alberta road on the night of March 27, 2020. Roger Bilodeau had chased them in his truck before his son, Anthony, fired the fatal shots. 

Anthony Bilodeau was convicted of second-degree murder and is currently serving a life sentence for the killings.

Roger Bilodeau was convicted by a jury of manslaughter in both deaths. He was handed a 10-year sentence but granted credit for nearly half that term for time already served. 

Both Bilodeau men have appealed their convictions to the Supreme Court of Canada and both appeals remain outstanding. 

In its October decision, the parole board found that Roger Bilodeau, a 61-year-old farmer from Glendon, Alta.,  is a low risk to re-offend despite the "personal beliefs, misinterpretations, and deep-seated frustrations" that motivated his crimes.

"Reports note you are not proud of your actions," the parole decision says. 

"Your decision came from a frustration at how policing had been conducted in your rural area. You do not condone the use of violence generally. However, you state that people have the right to defend themselves," the report says. 

"On the day of the offence, your judgment was clouded by anger and mistrust, leading you to pursue and confront individuals you wrongly suspected of criminal intent." 

On the night of the killings, Roger Bilodeau pursued Sansom and Cardinal in a high-speed chase, incorrectly assuming the men were thieves.

Sansom and Cardinal were in fact returning from a moose-hunting trip.

After spotting Sansom's pickup on the road near his farm, Roger Bilodeau followed them in his truck.

As the elder Bilodeau pursued the hunters, he called his son and told him to bring a gun.

Soon after arriving at the scene where the other two vehicles had stopped, Anthony Bilodeau shot and killed Sansom and Cardinal. 

Father and son fled the scene. Cardinal, 57, and his nephew Sansom, 39, succumbed to their injuries. Their bodies were found on the road the following morning. 

Roger Bilodeau was first granted day parole on April 25, 2024, despite widespread opposition from the victims' families and advocates with the Métis Nation of Alberta. 

He was released into an Alberta community the following month. The name of the facility where he has been living has been redacted from parole documents.

Most federal offenders are eligible to apply for full parole after serving one-third of their sentence. Day parole releases are meant to prepare offenders for release into the community. 

Offenders on day parole must return nightly to an institution or a halfway house unless otherwise authorized and are often placed on additional restrictions.

Bilodeau remains under conditions to make no direct or indirect contact with the victims' families. He must also continue psychological counselling and abide by a curfew.

The board said releasing Bilodeau would not present an "undue" risk to the public and that it supports his pursuit of full parole at a later date. 

The parole board said there have been no reported breaches and that Bilodeau spends most of his time working to supplement the income of his farm. 

The board found that he continues to pursue rehabilitation through counselling and prayer and has maintained a "low profile." 

At previous parole hearings, RCMP raised concerns about how Bilodeau's release — suggesting his presence could inflame tensions in the community and create safety issues.

The parole board said those issues should be considered before Bilodeau is granted additional freedoms.

The board said it "would like to talk with you further about the dynamics in the community and potentially high-risk situations that may continue to be encountered."

In its decision, the board acknowledged the profound harm and trauma his serious and violent crimes have caused to the victims' families and the community. 

"Your actions were impulsive and reckless and the significant impact on the victims has not been lost on the board."