His scheduled jury trial contributed to publication bans being issued on the sentencing hearings for three co-accused in Gallagher’s death.
Author of the article:
Bre McAdam • Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Published Mar 06, 2025 • Last updated 12 hours ago • 2 minute read
You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
Instead of having a jury trial, Thomas Richard Sutherland, 45, re-elected to have a judge-alone trial on April 28, 2025 in Saskatoon Court of King’s Bench. He is charged with manslaughter and unlawful confinement in the death of Megan Gallagher in 2020.Photo by Matt Smith /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Article content
One of two men with scheduled jury trials in connection with the death of Saskatoon woman Megan Michelle Gallagher has re-elected to be tried by only a judge.
Thomas Richard Sutherland made his formal re-election in Saskatoon Court of King’s Bench on Feb. 20, defence lawyer Jessie Buydens confirmed.
His Saskatoon trial is still scheduled for April 28.
Sutherland, 45, is charged with manslaughter and unlawful confinement. He was arrested in 2022, along with eight others, after police received information that led to the discovery of Gallagher’s remains along the South Saskatchewan River near St. Louis on Sept. 29, 2022.
Advertisement 2
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.
Get exclusive access to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.
Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.
Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.
Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.
Get exclusive access to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.
Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.
Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.
Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account.
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
Enjoy additional articles per month.
Get email updates from your favourite authors.
THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments
Enjoy additional articles per month
Get email updates from your favourite authors
Sign In or Create an Account
or
Article content
The 30-year-old mother went missing on Sept. 20, 2020.
Sutherland was initially charged with aggravated assault, but was indicted on a manslaughter charge after Robert “Bobby” James Joseph Thomas’s preliminary hearing took place in 2023.
Thomas received a life sentence with no parole eligibility for 18 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in late 2024. Justice Daryl Labach ordered a publication ban on the entire sentencing hearing to ensure trial fairness.
At the time, four people were still awaiting their jury trials — Sutherland, Roderick William Sutherland, Cheyann Crystal Peeteetuce and Summer-Sky Jodylynn Henry.
Brian Gallagher speaks to media outside King’s Bench Court in Saskatoon on February 6 2025 after the sentencing of Cheyann Peeteetuce and Summer Sky-Henry.Photo by Michael Joel-Hansen/Saskatoon St
After Thomas was sentenced, Peeteetuce and Henry re-elected to be tried by judge alone. Their joint first-degree murder trial began with pretrial motions in January, but the evidence was under an interim publication ban, once again to protect the upcoming jury trials.
After several in-camera (closed court) hearings, Peeteetuce and Henry pleaded guilty to manslaughter, ending the scheduled 39-day trial. They received seven-year prison terms.
Advertisement 3
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Justice Mona Dovell ordered a similar, sweeping publication ban on their sentencing hearings after rejecting a media lawyer’s arguments to drop the ban, citing that a “real and substantial risk to trial fairness” exists.
Sutherland’s re-election to a judge-alone trial came two weeks after the women’s sentencing hearing.
Roderick Sutherland, 47, is charged with first-degree murder. For now, his jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 6.
Recommended from Editorial
Thomas Sutherland faces manslaughter trial in Megan Gallagher homicide
Complete Coverage: Megan Gallagher homicide
The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark thestarphoenix.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
