Trial set for accused charged in killing two Métis men hunting, APTN Investigates will air documentary

The date has been set for the murder trial of two Albertan men accused of murder after two Cree-Metis men Jacob Sansom and Maurice Cardinal were shot dead on a rural road near Glendon.

The trial will start at the Queen’s Bench in Edmonton, Alberta on May 9, 2022.

The two Cree-Metis men had just finished a moose hunt to gather food for their families.

Around 9:30 p.m. on March 27, 2020, two vehicles came to a stop and things got heated verbally, then physically. A third vehicle pulled up and police said at the time, “Several shots were fired by the accused, which resulted in the death of the victims,” RCMP stated. 

Both males, Sansom aged 39, and Cardinal, 57, suffered gunshot wounds.

According to police, “On March 28, 2020, at about 4:00 a.m., the Bonnyville RCMP responded to a call from a citizen who reported two males on the road outside of a parked truck. The Bonnyville RCMP determined on the scene; Township Road 622 and Range Road 484, that both males were deceased and the circumstances of their death appear suspicious.”

A citizen would later report seeing the two bodies outside of a parked truck. An autopsy revealed the deaths to be homicides, police said.

Anthony Bilodeau was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and with consultation with the office of the Crown counsel, the RCMP Major Crimes Unit arrested and charged Roger Bilodeau, 56, both of Glendon. 

Further review of evidence by the Crown that was gathered during the investigation resulted in the co-accused being charged.

Sarah Sansom is Jacob “Jake” Sansom’s widow.

Sansom said Jake and Morris were amazing men who lived for their loved ones.

“They were kind, compassionate, gentle, hilarious, fun, and very loving men who made everyone around them smile and laugh,” Sansom remembers. “They were the light in every room they entered, and were fierce warriors when it came to protecting their loved ones.”

Sansom said losing them has shattered our family and has torn apart so many friends and loved ones.

APTN Investigates will air a documentary on Friday, April 8, at 4:30 p.m. They met with the family and visited the backroads in the Lakeland that many say are scary for Indigenous people.

This crime destroyed not only Jake’s three children but also all their Nieces and Nephews who adored them both, Sansom said.

“Peace and laughter have been torn out of our once happy lives,” Sansom said. “We ( as in all who loved them) have been broken when they were senselessly stolen from the world that needed their light to shine. The world has been darker since they left and we need some healing. It is time for justice, it is time to make sure their love and lives are forever remembered.

“Jake and Morris can never be brought back, but they have left a legacy behind and it can never be forgotten. Thank you everyone for your support. It has been a very long two years and we are grateful to everyone who has given us love, hope, kindness, strength and shared our tears and pain. We are forever thankful for everyone.”