Michael Joel-Hansen
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
A Saskatoon King’s Bench judge has granted convicted killer Curtis Alfred Dagenais more time to seek legal advice when it comes to preserving the pickup truck he was driving when he shot three RCMP officers in 2006.
Seventeen years later, the Crown has filed a motion to take legal possession of the truck, which would pave the way for it being destroyed.
“It’s an unreasonable request,” Dagenais told Justice Daryl Labach during Monday’s hearing.
Wearing a blue collared shirt and blue jeans, he opposed the Crown’s forfeiture motion relating to the truck he was driving on July 7, 2006, when he shot and killed RCMP Constables Robin Cameron, 29, and Marc Bourdages, 26, and wounded Const. Michelle Knopp.
According to the StarPhoenix archival trial coverage, the truck is a blue 1996 GMC.
Dagenais, who is self-representing, appeared by video on Monday from the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert, where he is serving three life sentences: two for first-degree murder, and another for attempted murder.
He asked for more time to consult a lawyer about the legal avenues available to him. He added he only recently was given the Crown’s written submissions and needed time to review them.
Dagenais claimed corrections officials were making it difficult for him to access a lawyer. Crown prosecutor Scott Bartlett said no lawyers had been in touch with him on behalf of Dagenais.
His 2009 jury trial heard he shot the three officers after they pursued him from a house in Spiritwood to a remote trail south of the Village of Mildred. The officers returned fire at Dagenais, but did not hit him.
Dagenais ran into the bush after the shootings and was at large for 11 days before turning himself in.
The pursuit began after RCMP were called to Dagenais’ mother’s home regarding a domestic dispute between him and his family. Dagenais fled after the officers tried to box him in.
Innocence claim could be tied to truck: Dagenais
Dagenais said the truck is his property and he would prefer it be taken to his farm so that it can’t be destroyed. He told court he believes the vehicle will help him prove his innocence, but did not specifically state how.
Speaking to the Crown’s motion during a hearing in June, Labach said the truck was not previously forfeited due to a judge’s decision in 2021.
At the time, Dagenais had reached out to Innocence Canada, an organization that helps exonerate people who have been wrongfully convicted. The judge found the truck should be preserved to assist in any potential future investigations.
Labach said Innocence Canada had since filed a letter indicating it will not be representing Dagenais.
Bartlett told court the truck is now 40 years old and is “full of bullet holes.” He added it was “unlikely” the vehicle would pass an inspection. It is currently in the RCMP’s possession.
The Crown argues the truck is “offence-related property” and the law limits a judge’s discretion when it comes to ordering forfeiture, an exception being if doing so would cause “an undue hardship.”
When pressed about the importance of preserving the truck, Dagenais brought up an incident from his 2009 trial when the RCMP admitted to destroying video tapes from a police vehicle that was at the shooting scene. An RCMP officer testified that there was nothing of importance on the tapes.
During the June hearing, Dagenais said the move to take his truck is part of a cover-up.
“Now they want to cover their tracks,” he said.
At the conclusion of his trial, Dagenais’ late father, Art, accused his son’s lawyer of not calling evidence that could have exonerated his son. Art also raised doubts about evidence given by a pathologist, and crime scene photos.
On Monday, Labach told Dagenais that there will be “no further adjournments” and encouraged him to either retain a lawyer or get legal advice. He acknowledged the difficulty in accessing legal representation while in prison.
“Please use this time wisely,” Labach said before adjourning the matter to Oct. 19, and ordering Dagenais to appear in person.
–with StarPhoenix files
