SASKATOON – A 14-day jury trial started Monday in Saskatoon Court of King’s Bench for Roderick William Sutherland who is charged in connection with Megan Gallagher’s death.
He is charged with manslaughter, unlawful confinement, and offering an indignity to human remains. He was initially charged with first-degree murder.
According to court documents, Gallagher was killed in a garage on the city's west end at 709 Weldon Ave. in Saskatoon.
Gallagher went missing in Saskatoon in September of 2020 and four months later the Saskatoon Police Service said they were treating her disappearance as a homicide.
On Sept. 29, 2022, SPS found human remains along the South Saskatchewan River near St. Louis. The remains were determined to be that of Gallagher. She was last seen alive at Circle K convenience store at 3730 Diefenbaker Drive in Saskatoon on Sept. 20, 2020.
Nine people were charged in Gallagher’s murder.
Charges of unlawful confinement and aggravated assault, against Robin Tyler John were stayed in September 2023.
Cheyann Crystal Peeteetuce and Summer-Sky Henry, initially charged with first-degree murder, instead pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter on Jan. 16. On Feb. 6, both were sentenced to seven years in prison.
Robert "Bobby" Thomas was sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole until he has served at least 18 years, for the charge of second-degree murder.
Ernest Vernon Whitehead, 41, Jessica Badger (Sutherland), 44, and John Wayne Sanderson, 45, were sentenced on a charge of indignity to human remains. Whitehead was sentenced to 739 days in jail. In March 2024, Badger was given a Conditional Sentence Order (CSO) of two-years less a day.
For years, Gallagher's family worked tirelessly to keep her case in the public eye, ogranizing walks and publicly pleading for information to find her.
ljoy@sasktoday.ca
-With files by Angela Brown and Jon Perez
