In a mostly empty courtroom, Eric Gould, 31, hugged loved ones with tears in his eyes and said goodbyes as he was sentenced to two years in jail in an Edmonton courtroom Friday morning. He had pleaded guilty earlier this year to planning a fire that wiped out a 79-unit condominium under construction in southwest Edmonton. The March 15, 2014 fire caused an estimated $6 million to $7 million in damages.
An Agreed Statement of Facts (ASF) stated Gould, and his accomplice Jeremy Thibert, were at the centre of a police investigation early on. Gould had been hired to do framing work on the building, commonly known as the ‘Essence of Windermere’ site, owned by Cove Properties. Investigators would later say Gould was not fulfilling the details of his contract and they believed the arson was financially motivated.
Gould was put under surveillance by the Edmonton Police Service and befriended by undercover investigators. He eventually told an officer he and Thibert were responsible for the fire.
The ASF states: “(Gould) told the undercover officer that the Cove had an expensive infrared camera security system, and that he had done his homework in relation to the location and placements of the cameras.”
Gould also used heavy equipment to make a track in the snow to cover up footprints. He waited in a car while Thibert lit Gatorade bottles full of gasoline.
Thibert later confirmed that story in a video-taped confession. Thibert was previously sentenced to two years behind bars in September 2015.
