Motive currently unknown in killing of two men near Glendon, RCMP continue investigation

The motive in the killings of Jacob Sansom and Maurice Cardinal has not been identified and police are still investigating, said S/Sgt. Jason Zazulak, Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit late Thursday.

Police said early on Thursday that the accused, 31-year-old Anthony Bilodeau, had turned himself into police where he was then arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder.

The accused was denied bail it was reported on Thursday morning.

It is alleged that at approximately 9:30 p.m., on Friday, March 27 two vehicles came to a stop on a rural road north of Glendon, police said on Thursday.

Sansom, from Nobleford, and his uncle Cardinal, from Bonnyville, were hunting on Friday after Sansom was laid off from his job.

“A verbal, then physical confrontation ensued with the occupants of the two vehicles,” police said.

A third vehicle then arrived on the scene and several shots were fired by the accused.

Bonnyville RCMP were then called to the scene at around 4:00am on Saturday morning.

Autopsy results on Tuesday deemed the deaths as homicides.

S/Sgt. Zazulak said the occupant(s) of the second vehicle involved in the confrontation was known by the accused.

“We do know that they did know each other. So the people in the second vehicle were known to Mr. Bilodeau, but there’s no information to suggest that any of those parties knew the victims prior to this happening,” said S/Sgt. Zazulak to Lakeland Connect on Thursday.

When asked whether additional charges could come later, he said: “The investigation is ongoing. We still are gathering information and if there are any additional charges, we would be consulting with the crown prosecutor on that.”

He said that investigators have not learned anything in this case that would suggest it was a racially-motivated crime.

It is unknown whether the victims were armed at the time, but it was confirmed they were hunting earlier in the day.

The black 2014 Dodge Ram was one of their vehicles and they travelled in that vehicle on Friday, March 27.

Bilodeau was remanded into custody following a judicial hearing and is set to appear next in St. Paul Provincial Court via CCTV on April 9, 2020.

The family of Jacob Sansom and Maurice Cardinal have asked for privacy as they grieve the loss of their loved ones.

The investigation continues, police said.

“A thank you to the members of the public who came forward with information and tips. Being that with your local readership there, we do certainly appreciate the people participating in this and assisting the police.”

Sansom honoured by Nobleford

Jake Sansom was a volunteer firefighter for the Town of Nobleford.

They honoured him on Tuesday with a parade of emergency vehicles flashing their lights.

Two GoFundMe pages have been set up to support the victims, one to support Jacob’s family and one to cover Cardinal’s funeral expenses.