Bail denied for man accused of killing Metis hunters

EDMONTON -- A man accused of killing two hunters near Glendon, Alta., in March will stay behind bars after he was denied bail in a Edmonton courtroom Wednesday.

Roger Bilodeau, 57, is charged with second-degree murder in the deaths of 39-year-old Jacob Sansom and 57-year-old Morris Cardinal.

Police say Sansom and Cardinal were shot and killed on a rural road on March 27 after a verbal and then physical altercation.

• READ MORE: Woman can't fathom why husband, uncle slain on hunting trip

Details of the bail hearing cannot be shared because of a publication ban, but outside of court, relatives of the two victims said they were relieved by the judge's decision.

"They're interested in justice, community justice, and seeing things progress justly," said Lionel Chartrand, lawyer for the victims' families. "This was a horrific set of circumstances."

Bilodeau's son, Anthony Michael Bilodeau, is also charged with second-degree murder in the deaths. 

He was denied bail in June, but defence lawyers are expected to appeal that decision on Aug. 13.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Sarah Plowman.

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  Jacob Sansom, 39, and Maurice Cardinal, 57, were shot and killed on a rural road near Glendon, Alta. on March 28, 2020.

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  A crowd gathered outside the Edmonton Law Courts on July 29, where Roger Bilodeau was in court for a bail hearing. He is accused of killing two hunters near Glendon, Alta., in March 2020.