(Regina) Juries made up of six Aboriginal people are to participate in two public inquests into the September 4 stabbing killings in which many people were killed or injured in Saskatchewan.
Posted at 6:36 p.m.
The first inquest is expected to take place by next summer and will focus on the 11 deaths in James Smith’s Cree Nation and the nearby village of Weldon. This includes the death of Damien Sanderson, one of the people considered suspects, who was found near a crime scene. He bore marks of wounds he wouldn’t have inflicted on himself.
The other investigation will look into the death of suspect Myles Sanderson, which occurred a few days after the murders, following his arrest.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Myles Sanderson was in distress shortly after his arrest on a rural road near Rosthern, Saskatchewan. His death was later pronounced in hospital.
On Wednesday, Chief Coroner Clive Weighill revealed preliminary autopsy results indicate Myles Sanderson did not suffer blunt trauma.
He added that his office was still awaiting final autopsy results as well as a toxicology report, which could take up to four months. These documents will not be made public before the start of the public inquiry so as not to interfere with the process, warned Chief Coroner Weighill.
“There is an official procedure to follow in Canada to ensure that the public is informed of what happened. It can take a bit of time to get all the pieces together,” Weighill said.
“The last thing you want is to share preliminary information, then have witnesses from the investigation come forward with conflicting information and you end up in a real quagmire like ‘what happened? it really happened?” »
“We are careful to make sure that we have all the information, that we have gathered everything in the right way and that we have reported everything within the framework of a public inquiry”, summed up the chief coroner. .
In Saskatchewan, it is mandatory to hold a public inquest when someone dies while in the custody of the police.
Mr Weighill also pointed out that with the death of Myles Sanderson and a second suspect, his brother Damien Sanderson, there can be no criminal trial and therefore many questions will remain unanswered. This is what convinced him to order the holding of two public inquiries.
“Without these public inquiries to establish the facts, we would leave too many questions unanswered for the families and the population in connection with the circumstances which led to all these deaths”, acknowledged the chief coroner.
“These events require a methodical and thorough investigation,” he added.
After hearing all the evidence, the members of the jury will have the mandate to determine how the suspects and the victims died. They will also have to make recommendations to the police and other parties involved in order to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.
According to Chief Coroner Weighill, the families of the victims were notified on Tuesday that the two inquests will be held soon. They would have been supportive.
The RCMP in Saskatchewan still have not completed their investigation into the murders. Several crime scenes have not even been cleaned up yet on the territory of the Cree community of James Smith.
Deputy Chief Alvin Moostoos told The Canadian Press on Sunday that the community about 200 kilometers northeast of Saskatoon is waiting to receive more information from police.
“There is a lot of speculation going on right now and speculation leads to rumours. We’re asking the RCMP to wrap up their investigation and give us a timeline of where this started and where it all ended, without the gory details,” he asked.
RCMP spokeswoman Jessica Murphy said the investigation is still ongoing in an effort to establish a timeline of events. She maintained that the timeline will be made public as soon as it is complete.
In the RCMP investigation process, the name of Damien Sanderson, brother of Myles, was also flagged as a suspect in the murders. His body was found and counted among the 11 people who died in the violence in the James Smith First Nation.
According to the police, he died of injuries that he did not inflict on himself. Investigators suspect his brother of being the author of this murder.