Two found guilty in murders of Alberta family; relatives angry

RED DEER, Alta. — Relatives of three members of a central Alberta family lashed out at the two men convicted of first-degree murder in their deaths Wednesday.

Jason Klaus and Joshua Frank were found guilty on all three charges by Justice Eric Macklin.

The bodies of Gordon Klaus and his daughter, Monica, were found in their burned-out farmhouse near Castor, Alta., in December 2013. Sandra Klaus was never found, but police say they believe her body was also in the house.

The victims were Jason Klaus’s father, mother and sister.

His aunt, Marilyn Thomson, said she was sickened when she watched the two men confess to an undercover RCMP officer during the trial.

“Jason is also dead to me. The whole family is gone,” Thomson said outside court.

During the trial, Klaus and Frank each blamed the other for the murders and gave different versions of what happened.

Court heard that Klaus was having problems with his father and offered Frank money to kill the family.

“Mr. Frank intentionally shot Gordon, Sandra and Monica Klaus on Dec. 8, 2013, and set the house on fire to conceal the crime. Mr. Frank knew exactly what Mr. Klaus expected of him and he carried out the murders in accordance with their plan,” Macklin said.

The defence requested more time for sentencing arguments. The Crown is seeking no chance of parole for 75 years.