Alberta man charged in 2005 Mountie killings seeks bail

One of two men from Barrhead, Alta., charged in connection with the 2005 killings of four RCMP officers was in an Edmonton courtroom Wednesday to ask for bail.

Shawn Hennessey, 23, faces four counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of constables Brock Myrol, Peter Schiemann, Anthony Gordon and Leo Johnston on March 3, 2005, at a farm near Mayerthorpe, Alta.

The Mounties were shot by a single gunman, James Roszko, who then killed himself.

Hennessey and Dennis Cheeseman, 23, were arrested in July 2007 and accused of aiding and abetting Roszko, even though police said neither suspect pulled the trigger or were even there when the officers were killed.

Both have been in custody since their arrest.

The evidence at Hennessey's hearing in Alberta's Court of Queen's Bench can't be reported because of a publication ban.

A decision on bail for Hennessey is expected later.

A CBC documentary, aired in February, raised questions about whether the investigation into the Mayerthorpe police killings, including the arrests of the two men, is aimed at distracting attention from allegations of negligence within the force.

Bad Day at Barrhead, a documentary by The Fifth Estate, examines the years following the shooting deaths.

People who know Hennessey and Cheeseman were stunned by their arrests, said The Fifth Estate's Linden MacIntyre. Dozens of people, including two former RCMP officers, wrote character references for the two.

A preliminary hearing for the pair is set for May in Stony Plain, just west of Edmonton.