BATTLEFORD, Sask. — A Little Pine First Nation man has been given a life sentence with no chance of parole for 15 years for the murder of 31-year-old Lee Bearsears.
Craig Fox was sentenced in Battleford Court of King’s Bench on Sept. 25, following a sentencing hearing held Aug. 24. Justice Rochelle Wempe found him guilty of second-degree murder in May.
Cut Knife RCMP found Bearsears' body in a rural area on Poundmaker Cree Nation on Oct. 16, 2023. Bearsears was from Little Pine First Nation.
During the sentencing hearing on Aug. 24, court heard the conviction warrants an automatic life sentence. The Crown requested a minimum 15 to 20 years served before parole eligibility while the defence asked for a minimum of 10 years.
Bearsears died from a gunshot wound to the back of his head while sitting in the front passenger seat of his truck on Oct. 15, 2023.
Crown prosecutor Oryn Holm said Fox had animosity toward Bearsears due to charges Bearsears was facing at the time, a prior sexual assault charge that Bearsears denied and pleaded not guilty to.
-With files from Angela Brown
