In Saskatoon later this month, Curtis Dagenais, who was responsible for the killing of two Saskatchewan RCMP officers and injury to another 20 years ago, will face court proceedings regarding his truck. The 1986 blue GMC 1500 involved in the tragic incident is currently stored at RCMP headquarters in Regina. The Crown is seeking its forfeiture and destruction, but Dagenais is contesting this decision.
Dagenais was driving the truck on July 6, 2006, when he attempted to evade arrest by RCMP constables in Spiritwood. The pursuit ended tragically when Dagenais fatally shot Constables Marc Bourdages and Robin Cameron after they cornered his truck against a tree. Another officer, Constable Michelle Knopp, was also shot and wounded during the incident.
Convicted in 2009 on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, Dagenais received three life sentences without parole for 25 years. Despite an unsuccessful appeal in 2012, the issue concerning the truck’s forfeiture is now being revisited in court.
The Crown prosecutor, Scott Bartlett, explained that the delay in pursuing the forfeiture application was an oversight. Dagenais, maintaining his innocence, opposes the destruction of the truck, citing potential evidence from the bullet holes. He sought assistance from Innocence Canada, an organization advocating for wrongfully convicted individuals, but no progress has been made yet.
Following a recent hearing in June, Justice Daryl Labach granted Dagenais another adjournment to secure legal representation before the scheduled forfeiture hearing on August 31. Despite efforts to challenge the forfeiture, Dagenais faces an uphill battle in retaining his truck as a key piece of evidence in his case.