Shawn Hennessey and Dennis Cheeseman, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter for their role in the 2005 murders of four Alberta Mounties, have been sentenced Friday morning.

In a packed Edmonton courtroom, Justice Eric Macklin handed down the sentencing.

Shawn Hennessey, 29, was given 12 years, less time served.

Hennessey's brother-in-law Dennis Cheeseman, 25, has received 9 years, less time served.

In his decision, Justice Eric Macklin stated that he considered the moral culpability of Shawn Hennessey "to be as high as it can be for an individual who did not pre-meditate a murder, was not at the scene of the murders and did not fire a gun."

Macklin added that he accepted the fact Hennessey was under some duress in facing Roszko, Hennessey's principal motivation was his desire to have evidence relating to his partnership with Roszko in a grow-op destroyed.

"Though he may not have know that Roszko owned an assault rifle, he knew that the weapons already in Roszko's possession could cause life threatening injuries," continued Macklin.

The suggestion by defence lawyers that Hennessey was afraid of the consequences of warning police of what lay in store for them at Roszko's property, was dismissed by Macklin. "A phone call warning police that Roszko was on the property and armed would simply have allowed the police to properly meet the situation."

Justice Macklin considered that the culpability of Dennis Cheeseman was lower than that of Hennessey, with Cheeseman acting on a request by Hennessey to help Roszko obstruct justice.

Each man received three years off their initial sentence for entering guilty pleas. They will also get credit for time already served in custody before they were released on bail.

In the end, Hennessey will serve 10 years and 4.5 months and Cheeseman will serve 7 years and 2.5 months.

In an agreed statement of facts, the men said they provided a rifle and ammunition to James Roszko, then drove him to his property, where Roszko later shot and killed four Mounties. The supplied gun was not the one used by Roszko.

Roszko murdered Const. Brock Myrol, Const. Anthony Gordon, Const. Leo Johnston and Const. Peter Schiemann, on March 3, 2005 before turning the gun on himself.

The Mounties were staking out Roszko's property, guarding evidence that was part of an investigation into stolen auto parts and a marijuana grow-op.

The tragedy was one of the darkest days in the history of the RCMP, marking the worst single-day loss of life in more than a century.

The Crown had asked for a sentence of 10 to 15 years while the defence sought terms of no more than five years, less time served.

Cheeseman and Hennessey have spent nearly 10 months in pre-trial custody, eventually being released on bail.

Taped Confession

Hennessey's father, Barry Hennessey, said he had been worried the judge's sentencing decision may have been influenced by a recording of a confession made by Cheeseman.

Undercover RCMP officers posing as criminals taped Cheeseman admitting to them that he knew Roszko was planning to kill the Mounties.

"Well, obviously we knew that he was going back to kill RCMP officers," Cheeseman admits on the tape.

"He said he was pretty much going to take care of business."

The tape, which was recording during an RCMP sting, was unsealed after the pleas were entered last week.

"You think the judge won't hear this?" Barry Hennessey asked from his home near Barrhead in an interview earlier this week with The Canadian Press. "It is not fair. It is not right that they released all of this."

He said Cheeseman was scared because he thought the undercover officers were real criminals.

"He was scared for his life," he said. "He thought they were Hells Angels."

With files from The Canadian Press and CTV's David Ewasuk