Alberta farmer sentenced to life with no parole for 13 years for killing Métis hunters

An Alberta farmer who shot and killed two Métis hunters after his father chased them down a public road has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 13 years.

Court of King’s Bench Justice Eric Macklin imposed the sentence on Anthony Bilodeau in front of a packed courtroom Friday, saying Bilodeau killed “two innocent men doing no more than celebrating a successful day providing food to others.”

“He brought a gun, at the direction of his father, without questioning its need or the full circumstances,” Macklin said. “Within seconds, he loaded and racked his rifle and shot Jacob Sansom in the chest, and shot Maurice Cardinal three times.”

Bilodeau, 34, and his father Roger were convicted last May of killing Sansom and Cardinal on March 27, 2020, after Roger and his younger son Joseph pursued them for seven kilometres in Roger’s pickup.

A jury found Roger guilty of manslaughter in both mens’ deaths, while Anthony was convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter for killing Cardinal and Sansom, respectively.