Two women on trial in Megan Gallagher's death enter surprise guilty pleas
Manslaughter pleas 'hit me in the gut': Brian Gallagher
Two women who were standing trial for first-degree murder in the 2020 death of Megan Gallagher entered guilty pleas to manslaughter on Thursday.
Eight weeks had been set aside for the judge-alone trial of Cheyann Peeteetuce and Summer Sky-Henry at Court of King's Bench in Saskatoon before Justice Richard Danyliuk.
Gallagher, a 30-year-old mother, went missing more than four years ago in Saskatoon. She was last seen alive leaving her friend's house on Sept. 19, 2020. Two years later, her body was found in the South Saskatchewan River near St. Louis, Sask., about 100 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon..
Gallagher's family had spent the intervening years searching for her and hosting annual walks to raise awareness about her disappearance.
Gallagher's family and friends were in court Thursday and said they had no inkling the pleas were coming in the second week of the trial.
"To hear it, you hear the word manslaughter — it hit me in the gut, real hard," said Gallagher's father, Brian, outside court.
"I was sick to my stomach. I've got a strong stomach, but this one really got to me."
A first-degree murder conviction comes with an automatic life sentence and no chance of parole for 25 years. The sentencing range for manslaughter is typically between four and 15 years.
Peeteetuce's lawyer, Chris Murphy, said in court the defence and Crown will be making a joint sentencing submission on Jan. 22.
Publication bans
Prosecutor Tyla Olenchuk successfully applied for an interim publication ban on Thursday's hearing.
The ban on reporting the evidence from the Peeteetuce and Sky-Henry trial is to ensure a fair trial for the other accused, Olenchuk said.
Roderick Sutherland, who is charged with first-degree murder and offering an indignity to a body, and Thomas Sutherland, who is charged with manslaughter and unlawful confinement, both have jury trials scheduled for later this year.
In December, Robert James Joseph Thomas was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 18 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for his role in Gallagher's death.
There was a publication ban at that hearing as well, to protect the integrity of upcoming trials.
'Silence in the courtroom'
Brian Gallagher said he has no idea how or why Peeteetuce and Sky-Henry were allowed to plead to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
"There's a silence on the streets and there's a silence in the courtroom," he said.
The developments over the course of the trial leave many questions unanswered.
The trial began on Jan. 6 with Murphy representing Peeteetuce and Mike Buchinski representing Sky-Henry, with Olenchuk and Carla Dewar as the Crown prosecutors.
And then this week, the trial went in-camera, meaning members of the public, including family and journalists, were not allowed in the courtroom for that portion.
Observers could see the parties through the courtroom's glass doors. Olenchuk was meeting with the defence lawyers before Justice Mona Dovell, not Justice Danyliuk, the trial judge. Earlier in the week, Olenchuk was joined in another in-camera session by senior Crown prosecutors Valerie Adamko from Saskatoon and Bill Burge from Regina.
Dewar was not in the meetings, and was not present when the guilty pleas to manslaughter were entered on Thursday before Justice Dovell.
No explanation was given as to why the judges changed and one of the Crown prosecutors was no longer in court.
"So we just have to wait and see where it all falls out," said Brian Gallagher.
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