The 12-member jury in the trial of Roderick Sutherland is currently deliberating on their verdict. Sutherland, the final defendant among nine individuals involved in the case of Megan Gallagher’s murder on September 20, 2020, faced charges of manslaughter, unlawful confinement, and offering an indignity to human remains. Despite not being on trial for murder, he pleaded not guilty.
Gallagher was killed after being confined and assaulted in a Saskatoon garage. Her remains were discovered by the South Saskatchewan River, approximately 105 kilometers northeast of Saskatoon near the village of St. Louis on September 29, 2022.
Following the jury’s sequestration, publication bans related to evidence, agreed statements of facts, and victim impact statements from previous trials were lifted. These bans previously concealed information about other charged individuals and their legal outcomes.
Robert (Bobby) Thomas was initially charged with murder in September 2022, later pleading guilty to second-degree murder in October 2024 and receiving a life sentence with no parole for 18 years. Notably, his case was the only murder plea among the accused that the jury was aware of.
Cheyann Peeteetuce and Summer-Sky Henry, initially charged with first-degree murder, ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter in January 2025 and were each sentenced to seven years. Ernest Vernon Whitehead, Jessica Badger (Sutherland), and John Wayne Sanderson admitted to offering an indignity to human remains. Charges against Robin John (unlawful confinement and aggravated assault) and Thomas Sutherland (manslaughter) were dropped.
During the trial, undisclosed information and developments emerged in the absence of the jury. These details were only revealed after the prosecution and defense concluded their arguments and Justice John Morrall provided instructions to the jury. Morrall spent two-and-a-half hours reviewing trial evidence and explaining the charges before the jury began deliberations.
