After 20 years since the tragic event where Curtis Dagenais killed two Saskatchewan RCMP officers and wounded another, he is set to appear in court in Saskatoon later this month regarding a legal dispute concerning his truck.
Dagenais was involved in an incident on July 6, 2006, in Spiritwood, Saskatchewan, when he attempted to evade arrest by RCMP constables. In the ensuing chase, Dagenais’s truck was forced off the road and pinned against a tree after colliding with an RCMP vehicle. Subsequently, he fatally shot Constables Marc Bourdages and Robin Cameron and injured Constable Michelle Knopp.
In 2009, Dagenais was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, receiving three life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years. Despite appealing his convictions in 2012, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal upheld the verdict.
The recent court proceedings revolve around the Crown’s application to forfeit Dagenais’s truck, a 1986 blue GMC 1500, for destruction. Dagenais contests this action, claiming the bullet holes in the vehicle could potentially exonerate him. The Crown prosecutor, Scott Bartlett, who initially brought the application in 2021, expressed uncertainty as to why the forfeiture request was not made earlier.
During the latest hearing in June 2022, Dagenais, now 61 years old, reiterated his opposition to the truck’s destruction, emphasizing the need to preserve it for further examination. The court noted that Innocence Canada, an organization Dagenais sought assistance from, had declined to represent him. Dagenais requested a further adjournment to secure legal representation, which was granted by Justice Daryl Labach.
The hearing for the forfeiture application is rescheduled for August 31, providing Dagenais with additional time to seek legal counsel and challenge the Crown’s request.
Ultimately, the legal battle continues as Dagenais strives to retain his truck as a potential piece of evidence in his ongoing pursuit for exoneration.