Fatality inquiry begins into double murder of 2 boys by father

EDMONTON – An Edmonton man who killed his two young boys then tried killing himself told an inquiry Monday he came up with the idea while riding the bus.

Jason Bruce Cardinal made the statement during a fatality inquiry looking into the deaths of his sons, six-year-old Caleb Cardinal and three-year-old Gabriel Cardinal. He refused to elaborate any further about his plans, saying he couldn’t remember many of the places, people or events associated with the deaths of his boys.

In December 2010, Cardinal strangled his sons then slashed his own wrists. Cardinal survived, and in 2012 pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. He was given a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Cardinal said he committed the murders after becoming upset over losing custody of the children. He told court at the time that if he couldn’t get his kids back he would be with them in death.

Child and Family Services took the children away from Cardinal because of concerns with his parenting skills. He suffers from mental illness and has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and sociopathic tendencies.

The boys’ mother, Andrea Badger, is suing Child and Family Services for allowing unsupervised visits with their father. Badger claims Child and Family Services contributed to the boys’ deaths by allowing Cardinal unsupervised access.

Those concerns spilled into the courtroom Monday. Cardinal suddenly refused to testify, saying “this is about one person gaining from a tragedy. I’m not about to help do that.”

Cardinal’s mother also testified.

“No amount of money is going to help make up for this loss,” Germaine Cardinal said.

The fatality inquiry is scheduled for the rest of the week. Several more witnesses are set to testify, including all of the case workers involved in the family’s case.

With files from Fletcher Kent, Global News.