(Melfort) A criminal investigation psychologist said Friday that the perpetrator of the Saskatchewan killing showed many psychopathic traits and had planned his rampage of stabbing attacks.
Myles Sanderson killed 11 people and injured 17 others in the Cree community of James Smith and the neighboring village of Weldon, northeast of Saskatoon, on September 4, 2022. The 32-year-old man died a few days later late when he was arrested by the RCMP.
Testifying at the coroner’s inquest in Melfort on Friday, criminal investigation psychologist Matt Logan argued Sanderson was not looking out for anyone but himself. Mr. Logan, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer, said the killer scored 33 out of 40 on a scale measuring psychopathy.
Expert Logan explained that he reviewed Sanderson’s court records, traveled to the Cree community and spoke with members of his family. He had never met Sanderson and said he could not make an official diagnosis.
But he argued the killer seemed incapable of feeling remorse and could explode in unpredictable and violent ways. Sanderson also likely suffered from antisocial personality disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, and he could also have suffered from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, Mr. Logan said. He said Sanderson was at high risk of violent reoffending.
The coroner’s inquest, which is expected to last at least two weeks, has so far found that Sanderson had a serious history of violence and incarceration. A jury heard emotional testimony Thursday from his common-law wife, Vanessa Burns, who recounted 14 years of domestic abuse by Sanderson, the father of her five children.
Mme Burns testified Thursday that she and Sanderson went to James Smith’s community to sell drugs, but she returned to Saskatoon after he assaulted her.
The inquest was told that Sanderson and his brother Damien then caused chaos in the community in the days leading up to the murders by assaulting people and selling drugs.
Domestic violence
The criminal investigation psychologist said the Sanderson brothers told people they were on a mission. Furthermore, Myles Sanderson had not slept for days and had expressed his anger towards the criminal gang “Terror Squad”, particularly active in Saskatchewan.
Damien Sanderson’s wife also testified Thursday that her husband feared his brother Myles, who called him a demon. Skye Sanderson said she called 911 the day before the stabbings, saying her husband had taken her vehicle without permission. Damien Sanderson was wanted on outstanding arrest warrants for domestic violence charges.
The inquest heard that Myles Sanderson first killed his brother Damien. He then went to the Cree community of James Smith, armed with a knife, and attacked other people.
Psychologist Logan recalled the killer’s unstable childhood, noting that Sanderson was bounced around different homes and suffered physical and emotional abuse. He already had drinking problems at age 13 and later turned to cocaine and methamphetamine.
He also had a lengthy criminal history, including 59 convictions as an adult. He was also illegally at liberty at the time of the murders.
Earlier Friday, Mandy Maier, who works in communications with the RCMP in Saskatchewan, told the inquest that human error was the cause of an emergency alert that did not contain the correct photo of the killer, in the first hours of the intervention of the federal police.
Keith Brown, the First Nation’s lawyer, asked Mr.me Maier why the RCMP had not asked the community for photos or confirmation of Sanderson’s identity. She responded that side conversations with community members can cause a delay when time is of the essence.