Two inquests to be held into Saskatchewan mass stabbings

Not one but two coroner’s inquests will be held into the mass stabbings on Sept. 4 and the arrest and death of Myles Sanderson three days later.

Ten people died in the attacks — nine on the James Smith Cree Nation and one in Weldon — and 18 others were hurt.

Saskatchewan chief coroner Clive Weighill made the announcement Wednesday morning. He talked about the public’s need for information even though the suspect is dead, so there couldn’t be a trial where everything comes out in court.

“Without a public hearing of the facts, it will leave many questions unanswered from the families involved and the public pertaining to the circumstances leading to the deaths,” said Weighill.

The first inquest will be into the 11 deaths that happened Sept. 4. The death of Damien Sanderson — Myles Sanderson’s brother and the other initial suspect — will be included in that inquest. His body was found on the James Smith Cree Nation on Sept. 5.

Saying no determination has been made by the coroner’s service as to whether Damien was a victim, Weighill grouped the inquests by when the deaths happened. He said if the RCMP presented different evidence, the grouping could be changed.

The second inquest will be entirely around Myles Sanderson’s death in police custody. He was arrested on the afternoon of Sept. 7, but died a short time later while in police custody.

The inquests are expected to be held in late spring or summer of 2023. Weighill said that’s the longest it could take and if they can be pulled forward, they will.

No more info

This means that no more information will be released about the incidents until the inquest. Weighill said there are due processes in Canada to make sure the public knows what happened in cases like this.

“The last thing we want is to give out some preliminary information and then witnesses at the inquest give different information. Now we’ve got a real quagmire of what really did happen. So it’s prudent to make sure we have all the information to make sure everything is gathered in a proper form and then present it at an inquest,” said Weighill.

However, only a few minutes later, Weighill did say preliminary results show there wasn’t any blunt force trauma that contributed to the death of Myles.

Weighill said he’d only put the information out because he knows there’s a lot of interest, but said giving anything more would taint the inquest. The chief coroner said he doesn’t believe he’s broken his own rules in releasing that information.

There won’t be an official cause of death for Myles. Because an inquest has been called, that jury will decide the cause of death.

“They’ll hear all the evidence given by the forensic pathologists and from the police, and they decide on the manner and cause of death. That’s how inquests work, right across the Commonwealth,” explained Weighill.

All of the preliminary autopsies have been done in the case. Weighill said they’re just waiting for toxicology, pathology and neuropathology which could take three to four months to come back.

Weighill said the police and coroner are in the preliminary stages of the investigation still. In addition to pathology and toxicology results, they’re also waiting for the police investigation to be finished, preparing photos and diagrams, finishing statements from witnesses, and preparing and itemizing evidence and reports before an inquest could be held.

The inquest

Weighill said the inquest will be held as close to the James Smith Cree Nation as it can be and he’s intending to make sure the six jury members are all Indigenous. He said most of the deaths happened on the First Nation and he wants to make sure the people on that First Nation are comfortable with the results.

Families of the victims have already been informed of the decision to hold inquests and Weighill said he believed the response was positive.

The coroner’s service will be providing a liaison to help the families understand the process and what they can expect from it.

“There’ll be many questions. Most people have never attended an inquest, and we’re there as their arm of support,” said Weighill.

Weighill couldn’t think of an inquest held in the province before that has been this large.

A coroner’s inquest was chosen for this purpose instead of an inquiry — like what’s happening right now around the Nova Scotia mass shooting — because an inquest has a jury, according to Weighill.

“The idea of an inquest is to be local to the people that it affects, that they get to hear the facts and that the decisions are made from there,” said Weighill.

The chief coroner thanked people for their patience given the complex nature of the investigation — something the commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP previously suggested.

“I ask you all to remember this is not a TV drama where we will have all of the answers by the end of the episode,” Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said in a statement released last Thursday. “Complex investigations of this nature take time and we look forward to providing further details once they have been confirmed.”