The deaths of Jacob Sansom of Nobleford and his uncle, Maurice Cardinal of Bonnyville, were still very raw for the men’s family and friends who rallied outside the Edmonton Law Courts on Tuesday as a bail hearing was held for one of the two men accused in their deaths.
Sansom’s widow, Sarah, was among dozens of loved ones who attended a hearing for one of the accused in an emotional show of support for the victims.
“It just proves how I knew how special Jake was,” Sarah Sansom said.
“I’m mad and I’m sad… there’s not even words, like, we shouldn’t be here — there’s no reason.”
On April 2, police said Anthony Bilodeau, 31, of Glendon, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder for in the deaths of Sansom and Cardinal.
Anthony Bilodeau was denied bail and will remain in custody at the Edmonton Remand Centre. That decision was a relief for the Sansom family.
“I can go home and tell my kids, because their fear is that he was going to get out. And how do we stay safe when daddy’s not here,” Sansom said.
“My children’s future is taken away, their dad was taken away, there’s nothing.”
Anthony Bilodeau is accused of fatally shooting Jacob Sansom, 39, and Cardinal, 57, on a rural road northeast of Edmonton on March 27.
Police have said people in two vehicles got into a verbal fight which turned physical.
RCMP said a third vehicle arrived at the scene and several shots were fired, killing Sansom and Cardinal. Their bodies were found on the road near a parked truck.
READ MORE: Second man charged with murder following March shooting deaths of Alberta men: RCMP
“We also have the community in Lethbridge,” said Bruce Gladue, a family friend. “It’s working with Sarah and her family to look at the therapy, a chance to talk about all of this.
“This is something that’s going to haunt them for a long time.”
The RCMP Major Crimes Unit also charged Roger Bilodeau, of Bonnyville, in connection with the deaths. The 56-year-old remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court in St. Paul on June 18.
Roger and Anthony Bilodeau are related, but police have not said how.
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