Glendon Men Found Guilty For Second-Degree Murder, Manslaughter

Anthony Bilodeau has been found guilty for commiting second-degree murder and manslaughter in the shooting of two Métis hunters on a rural road in Alberta. The man's father, Roger Bilodeau, is also guilty of two counts of manslaughter.

Their lawyers had argued the shooting was in self-defence, having chased down Jacob Sansom and his uncle Maurice Cardinal, after having had cause to believe the hunters were trying to steal from them. Anthony Bilodeau got a call from his father and younger brother, who were pursing a white Dodge pickup they suspected had been on the family farm earlier in the day.

"This simply is a case of taking the law into your own hands and it's a case of tragic results," Crown lawyer Jeff Rudiak responded . "Two innocent men, Jake and Morris, had absolutely no business dying that night … these two fellas did nothing wrong."

Jurors heard that Sansom and Cardinal were moose hunting before they were found dead on the side of a road near Glendon, Alta., in March 2020. Sansom was shot once in the chest and Cardinal was hit three times in the shoulder.

Brian Beresh, a lawyer representing Anthony Bilodeau, told the jury to find his client not guilty because he had no choice but to shoot the two hunters. A toxicology report showed Sansom's blood-alcohol level was nearly three times over the legal driving limit, while Cardinal's was nearly twice over the limit. The prosecution said that wasn't relevant in the case. Bilodeau also cut up his gun and threw it in a dump, stating that he did so out of shock.

Video of the shooting was presented to the jury which was captured by a nearby security camera at the intersection of Range Road 484 and Township Road 622.