(Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW Staff)

By Ben Tompkins

James Smith Cree Nation Inquest

Parole officers testify Sanderson showed no signs of future violence

Jan 24, 2024 | 5:29 PM

Day seven of the coroner’s inquest into the mass stabbing at the James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon continued on Wednesday, as testimony from parole officers who had interactions with Myles Sanderson, the perpetrator of the incident, was heard.

The coroner’s inquest is a fact-finding exercise to determine the events leading up to a death, in this case, the 11 people who were killed and 17 others who were injured Sept. 4, 2022.

The jury in this inquest, held in Melfort, is not to determine fault, but to look at the circumstances and make recommendations to prevent similar incidents from happening.

The first witness of the day was Natasha Melanson, who was Sanderson’s final parole officer before a warrant for his arrest was issued in late May of 2022.

She was Sanderson’s parole officer from February through May of 2022.

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Per his release orders during the time, Sanderson wasn’t allowed to use drugs or alcohol, he could not have any contact with his common-law spouse Vanessa Burns, he couldn’t associate with anyone who had previous criminal activity, and he had to disclose all his new relationships to his parole officer.

Melanson said she viewed Sanderson as a ‘pretty typical’ candidate, compared to whom she had dealt with before.

Initially, they met twice a week for the first month, while in the following months, they only met once a week.

When Melanson first met with Sanderson, she viewed him as quite standoffish and apprehensive but said he softened after a couple of weeks and was always respectful to her.

During the first month, Sanderson met with his son in person which was not permitted without approval, however, he disclosed it immediately, and therefore his release was maintained.

Sanderson also never showed any signs of substance abuse of any kind and was originally ranked low when it came to his rehabilitation grade. Melanson said he was later viewed as having a high chance of rehabilitation after his progress and compliance throughout the next four months.

She said this came as he continued to participate in his necessary programming and lived with his father in Saskatoon, which was his approved residence.

That all changed in late May, as he forced his way into Vanessa Burns’ apartment in Saskatoon, and was showing signs of aggression.

The matter wasn’t disclosed until many hours after Sanderson had left the apartment, which is when the warrant for his arrest was made.

At that time, Melanson’s role turned to an information gatherer, in hopes of reaching someone who might know his whereabouts and if they could try and convince Sanderson to turn himself in.

A few days after the warrant was issued and Saskatoon Police were notified of the release, Melanson was able to get ahold of Sanderson, letting him know about the warrant and telling him to turn himself in.

Sanderson said he wanted to be accountable and that he was going to, but that he was also afraid to go back to jail.

One of Sanderson’s contacts who served as an Indigenous guide, believed he may have gone back to Melfort, but there was no way to confirm that notion.

Melfort RCMP then checked known residents that Sanderson was believed to travel through, but did not find him, so the scope returned to Saskatoon.

Contact ceased with Sanderson after that moment.

Melanson reflected on the time before that, stating Sanderson was employed throughout his release. She noted he had finances and an improved sense of self-esteem. Melanson said Sanderson had found purpose.

He also stayed quite culturally involved and attended couples therapy along with virtual family contact.

Once Sanderson’s warrant was out, he was mad that Vanessa told police about his breach, and his father felt that Vanessa lied and was jealous that Myles moved on.

He denied contact with his son and felt that the breach of the release was unfair.

During the day of the stabbings, Melanson reached out to Melfort RCMP to see if there was anything she could share to help find Sanderson.

To their best knowledge right before the tragedy, Sanderson was still believed to be in Saskatoon.

The next testimony was provided by Daryl Schmidt, who works as an intake assessment parole officer at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary.

Schmidt was the one to interview Sanderson when he first arrived in 2019.

Schmidt does not remember a lot about Sanderson as he had a lot of different cases.

He did remember that he seemed fairly open and had good communication and that nothing stood out which would indicate his future actions.

Sanderson was referred to mental health services right away and did meet the criteria for persistent violence, as he had a history of three or more violent crimes.

Because Sanderson’s risk factor was quite high, he was also suited for a high-intensity program.

Risks included previous substance abuse problems and domestic violence, therefore his initial reintegration rating was low.

Schmidt also recommended a psychological and mental health assessment because Sanderson had thoughts of suicide and stated he had anxiety and depression.

Sanderson didn’t apply for parole in 2019 as he didn’t feel he was ready and needed more time to progress, Schmidt said.

Sanderson also spoke about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, as his mother drank when she was pregnant, and had been taking anti-psychotic medication, so another referral was put in.

According to Schmidt, when he first met Sanderson, he had no indication of gang-related activity, but there was some in the past.

One of the final testimonies was from Brandy Ross who was one of the two teachers for an Indigenous program that Sanderson participated in, which was deemed the ‘most intense program’.

Sanderson finished the roughly five to six-month program, with some COVID interruptions, as they met six times a week for about 90 minutes.

According to Ross, he opened up quite a bit over time and was proud once he completed the program.

Ross said Sanderson showed progress in listening to feedback and restraining himself from being involved in possible altercations.

He added that Sanderson was also quite emotional when it came to the positive guidance he was given and displayed no signs of future violence that he committed.

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