SASKATOON — According to court records, a man whose manslaughter and unlawful confinement charges were stayed last year is now charged with possessing a loaded prohibited handgun and trafficking fentanyl.
Thomas Richard Sutherland, 46, was arrested in Saskatoon and charged on Jan. 26 with possessing a loaded prohibited handgun without a licence and possessing fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking. He faces six weapons-related charges, and the Crown has elected to proceed by indictment.
His case was before Saskatoon Provincial Court on March 4. Sutherland didn’t appear, and his appearance was waived. He remains remanded in custody at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre and is scheduled for a bail hearing on March 17.
An agent for defence lawyer Nicholas Stooshinoff told the court that counsel is still obtaining instructions and waiting for disclosure. Resolution discussions and a potential release plan are underway, and Sutherland is applying for legal aid.
The manslaughter and unlawful confinement charges against Sutherland, laid in connection with Megan Gallagher’s death, were stayed in mid-March 2025 ahead of his scheduled April 2025 trial. When the Crown stays charges, they put the charges on hold. This means the charges can still be "brought back to life," within one year and the person could be prosecuted again on those same charges. But this rarely happens.
Sutherland was originally arrested in September 2022 at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre on unrelated matters and charged in connection with Gallagher’s death.
-With files from Angela Brown
