MELFORT – An inquest into the September 2022 stabbing rampage on James Smith Cree Nation (JSCN) and Weldon that left 11 dead and 18 injured has been scheduled to run from Jan. 15 to 26, 2024 in Melfort.
Myles Sanderson killed his brother Damien Sanderson and 10 others on Sept. 4, 2022.
Initially, police thought Damien was involved in the murders. After completing 250 interviews, processing over 670 exhibits and following up on more than 900 calls for service, investigators determined that Myles Sanderson committed the murders.
After an extensive manhunt, he was arrested near Rosthern on Sept. 7 but later died in hospital.
Residents of JSCN have a long road of healing after the tragedy that rocked their community. Chief Calvin Sanderson said the tragic events cast a lingering shadow on their community for months as the survivors of the attacks recovered from the trauma.
The inquest into the 11 deaths will be held at the the Kerry Vickar Centre, 206 Bemister Avenue East in Melfort.
A separate inquest is required for Myles Sanderson who died in police custody. It will be held from Feb. 26 to March 1, 2024, in Saskatoon.
Myles Sanderson was released on statutory release in August 2021, according to February 2022 parole documents obtained by SASKTODAY.ca.
Sanderson previously belonged to a street gang and used that affiliation to terrorize his children, the parole report states. He also associated with drug dealers and pimps, according to the parole report.
He had a lengthy criminal record with 59 previous convictions, many of them for violent offences.
Inter-generational trauma
Sanderson experienced the effects of colonialism and inter-generational trauma, according to parole board documents.
When he was about 12, Sanderson started drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. He got into cocaine at 14 and eventually methamphetamine.
Sanderson struggled with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts and he believed he suffered from post-traumatic-stress. He took anti-psychotics, as well as psychotropic medication to manage his Attention Deficit Disorder.
Other contributing factors
The parole board report said that other factors that contributed to Sanderson’s violence and criminal offences included a lack of cultural involvement, a lack of meaningful goals and direction, poor problem-solving, limited coping strategies, witnessing parental violence and substance abuse, and a fragmented family.
A large part of Sanderson’s “nefarious behaviour” stemmed from a feeling of abandonment and not being wanted after being passed around to different family members, said the parole board report.
Medium-to-high risk: Parole Board
Sanderson’s Case Management Team recommended that the parole board revoke his statutory release.
Documents reveal the board considered Sanderson a medium-to-high risk with a high-risk to reoffend.
When releasing Sanderson in February, the board said they were “satisfied” that his “risk is manageable in the community,” if he doesn’t drink or do drugs and continues with therapy. The board cancelled Sanderson’s parole suspension and released him with a reprimand for not communicating with his parole supervisor.
With files from John Cairns and Jon Perez
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