Man sentenced to life in murder of Onion Lake Cree Nation women

Dozens of people travelled to Edmonton to see a man sentenced Friday for the murders of two women from Onion Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.

Gordon Rogers, 61, was given life in prison and won’t be eligible for parole for 17 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the deaths of Jeanette Chief and Violet Heathen. He was handed two sentences, but they will be served at the same time.

When he pleaded guilty to the murders in September, court heard that although the women’s deaths were two years apart — Chief was killed in 2007 and Heathen was killed in 2009 — Rogers met them at the same Lloydminster hotel.

Several victim impact statements were entered as exhibits, but Chief’s nephew, Onion Lake Coun. Tom Chief, read a statement on behalf of the entire community.

“Coping with the murders is one of our nation’s biggest challenges,” he said, asking the court to not let the violent acts go “unnoticed.”

Photos of the two women were held up in the crowd of about 60 people, many of whom wept as disturbing details of the two killings were read aloud in court.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Rogers said after meeting both women at the Alberta Hotel, he took them back to his trailer and killed them.

Chief, 48, died of blunt force trauma after Rogers hit her in the head with a beer bottle. Court heard he wrapped her body in plastic and tossed it off a bridge north of Lloydminster, where it was found floating in June 2007.

Nearly two years later, on May 15, 2009, Heathen, 49, was last seen alive leaving the hotel with Rogers.

In November 2009, a hunter discovered a human skull in a rural area near Kitscoty, Alta. Police searched it and found more human remains. Although a cause of death couldn’t be determined, the remains were identified as Heathen through X-rays and dental records.

Rogers was interviewed multiple times by police, but it wasn’t until investigators ran an undercover operation that Rogers admitted he choked Heathen to death with a chain. He left her body in his trailer for a week before disposing of it in a rural area. He admitted to killing Chief in the same conversation with an undercover officer.

While explaining his decision to accept the joint submission by Crown prosecutor Jeff Rudiak and defence lawyer Andrew Perrin, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Paul Belzil said he had no doubt the effect of the “horrendous” murders on the Cree Nation was “terrible.”

“One is bad, two is just beyond comprehension,” the judge said.

Rogers waived his right to address the court.

Outside court, family members said the murders were traumatic for the small community near the Alberta border, but the sentence brought them some sense of justice. Both women left behind children and grandchildren.

Heathen’s sister, Ruby Whitestone, said investigators did an “awesome job,” but that she wishes Rogers would have been arrested faster.

“Maybe my sister would have still been alive if somebody was charged right away,” she said.