ROSZKO'S HELPERS GUILTY

Pair gave ranting cop-hater a rifle, drove him to his farm, then decided
not to warn the police

It took hours to read through the blame and emotional destruction
surrounding the killing of four RCMP officers and the two young men who
admit they played a part in their deaths.

In a crowded courtroom, Shawn Hennessey and Dennis Cheeseman sat in the
prisoner's box and listened to family members of the officers they helped
James Roszko kill.

Keith Myrol, father of Const. Brock Myrol, said almost anything can be an
emotional trigger that sharpens the loss of his son. From blaring sirens
to O Canada, from the Canadian flag to the evening news, from a birthday
to a quiet moment, his grief is constant, he told the two men.

"The nights are long when the mind won't quit. My mind and body are tired,
I'm emotionally wore out," he said. "I lost Brock. You took him. I
suffered."

Rev. Don Schiemann took the court through snapshots of his son Const.
Peter Schiemann -- starting as a two-year-old who liked to take things
apart and a 10-year-old who stuck licorice up his nose to gross out his
younger sister.

The father spoke of Peter Schiemann selling his 1989 Dodge Daytona to pay
his expenses at the RCMP training centre in Regina and for his posting to
Mayerthorpe, where he was perhaps the town's most eligible bachelor and a
well-respected Mountie.

"Peter, the RCMP officer who wanted to make a difference," Schiemann
finished through tears. "Peter, my son."

Const. Anthony Gordon and Const. Leo Johnston were also murdered.

Hennessey and Cheeseman now admit they supplied Roszko with a rifle, heard
him talk about revenge against the RCMP, drove him close to his farm,
dropped him off and decided against warning the RCMP about the grave
danger Roszko presented.

In the following hours, Roszko made his way onto the farm, snuck into his
Quonset hut, which housed a marijuana grow-op and chop shop, then
slaughtered four RCMP officers in an ambush around 10 a.m. on March 3,
2005.

On Monday in an Edmonton courthouse, Hennessey, 29, and Cheeseman, 25,
each pleaded guilty to four counts of manslaughter for their role in the
crime. They had earlier been charged with four counts of first-degree
murder.

Crown prosecutor Dave Labrenz asked for a 10-to 15-year sentence for
Hennessey and Cheeseman, saying the crime "was one of the worst and
reflects the single worst loss of life for the Mounties in 100 years."

The two men acted "selfishly" that night, helping Roszko out of fear that
Hennessey's connection to the grow-op would be revealed, Labrenz said.

Hennessey and Cheeseman, who are brothers-in-law, did not acknowledge each
other as they sat together in the prisoner box. Cheeseman looked nervous,
while Hennessey appeared calm. They were taken into custody after their
guilty pleas.

Hennessey and Cheeseman's families and friends had long stated they were
innocent and didn't help Roszko. In the statement of facts that Hennessey
and Cheeseman confirmed were accurate, a different story emerged.

On March 2, 2005, Roszko had fled from two bailiffs who intended to seize
his truck. They called RCMP, who quickly found a marijuana grow-op and
stolen vehicles in Roszko's hut.

After his aunt refused to let him park his truck at her home, Roszko
turned to Hennessey for help. The two had met while Hennessey worked at
the Kal-Tire in Barrhead. It is now known the two were both involved in
the marijuana operation police had found hours earlier.

Hennessey refused to accept Roszko's truck, so the known cop-hater and
bully drove to his house with a handgun sticking out of his belt.
Hennessey then visited Cheeseman, who was helping a friend move. He said
they needed to help Roszko because Hennessey was tied to the grow-op being
investigated.

Cheeseman was not involved in the marijuana trade, but had done odd jobs
at Roszko's place, such as digging holes for tree-planting. When he
returned to Hennessey's residence, he found an armed Roszko at the kitchen
table with Hennessey.

Hennessey gave Roszko a clean-wiped .300 Winchester rifle and bullets.
Cheeseman then put on gloves and stuck the Winchester in a pillow case.

It was clear that Roszko was enraged at the police and made comments about
revenge and an intent to return to his Quonset and burn it down before
RCMP could finish investigating.

"Both Hennessey and Cheeseman knew that armed confrontation with the
police was a real possibility and that the situation was clearly trouble,"
the statement of facts reads.

As RCMP continued to investigate Roszko's farm outside Mayerthorpe, he
dropped his truck at his aunt's and got into a car Hennessey and Cheeseman
had followed him in. The two men had discussed leaving Roszko, but decided
not to. Roszko came back and the three drove away in one vehicle.

"Cheeseman and Hennessey did not converse with Roszko, but Roszko ranted
and complained about the RCMP, and threatened to get even with them. ...
Cheeseman described his rantings as 'devil talk,' " court heard.

At Roszko's request, Hennessey stopped across a field from the
investigation scene. The group could see lights of the police cars on
Roszko's property.

Roszko pulled socks over his boots. He grabbed the Winchester rifle and
headed off in the direction of the police, sometime between 1 a.m. and 3
a.m.

Hennessey and Cheeseman drove directly home.

"Cheeseman suggested that they should call the police and warn them about
Roszko, However, Hennessey discouraged that idea, and felt that Roszko
would come after them should he evade police."

No one warned the RCMP.

Around 2:30 a.m., the investigation closed for the night and mounties
Gordon and Johnston were left to guard the site. They were joined by
Schiemann and Myrol seven hours later.

Shortly after the arrival of two other officers, the four went into the
hut, where Roszko waited. He had somehow snuck inside overnight.

Schiemann, Myrol, Johnston and Gordon were all killed in barrage of
semi-automatic gunfire. It was with another weapon, not Hennessey's rifle,
that Roszko killed the officers.

Roszko then emerged from the Quonset, but was hit by two bullets from an
officer outside. He went back inside and killed himself. The five bodies
were discovered hours later when RCMP entered the building.

Myrol was found near the locked back door of the Quonset hut, shot in the
head. Gordon and Schiemann were found in the middle of the hut, both with
multiple wounds.

Johnston had been shot four times, but died fighting. He'd managed to
return fire on Roszko. He got off one shot that hit the handgun in
Roszko's belt but did little damage. Johnston's gun then jammed, his one
shell casing failing to eject properly.

Forensic tests found 19 spent shell casings from Roszko's semi-automatic
rifle, the same gun he used to shoot himself through the heart.

That same morning, both Hennessey and Cheeseman headed off to work.
Hennessey didn't hear about the massacre until he was driving home that
night. Cheeseman left work at 1:30 p.m. that day, saying he had a family
emergency. In fact, he'd heard about the slaughter.

In July 2007, after an extensive, 28-month police investigation, which
included an undercover operation, the RCMP arrested Cheeseman and
Hennessey.

Today, their lawyers will make sentencing arguments.

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FAMILIES TELL COURT WHAT THEY'VE LOST

Victim impact statements heard after pair pleads guilty to manslaughter

"I'm angry that Anthony's life was taken so soon. I feel terrible anguish
and bitterness for what has happened. I miss getting phone calls from my
son and receiving cards on birthdays and Mother's Day." -- Doreen Jewel
Duffy, mother of Const. Anthony Gordon

"Anthony was robbed of seeing the birth of his second son, Anthony Ashton
J. Gordon. He never got the chance to look upon his new son with pride and
hold him close. Never heard his first cry, saw his first smile or saw him
take his first step. Anthony had the opportunity to be a good father that
was stolen from him. My two sons were robbed of knowing an amazing man. --
Kim Gordon, widow of Const. Anthony Gordon

"When I lost my husband, I lost my purpose. When Leo's heart stopped
beating, so did mine. It breaks my heart that Leo never got to see our
wedding photos and we never got to go on our honeymoon." -- Kelly
Johnston, widow of Const. Leo Johnston

"How could you? What were you thinking, or not thinking, that made it OK
for you to be associated with someone like Roszko? You became a part of an
incomprehensible, hideous, selfish, cowardly and inhumane act." -- Grace
Johnston, mother of Const. Leo Johnston, to Shawn Hennessey and Dennis
Cheeseman

"My grief is every day, every night, every morning, every moment, it is
every breath I take. I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest.
My world is shattered. I am completely broken." -- Colleen Myrol, mother
of Const. Brock Myrol

"I am so lonely for Brock it hurts. I feel lost, like a leaf that has
fallen from a tree and been tossed in the wind. He was the one person I
would have turned to get through something like this. Brock was the air I
breathed and without him I am suffocating." -- Anjila Steeves, fiancee of
Const. Brock Myrol

"March 3, 2005 was like having one's arm torn off. The pain is beyond
words. Over time, the pain has subsided, the wound has healed, but there
will always be the tell-tale scar tissue. The limb is always missed." --
Rev. Don Schiemann, father of Const. Peter Schiemann

"I struggle to understand the incredible evil that would lead a man to end
the lives of four other in such a brutal and heartless manner. For me,
this is not an academic question. It hits home and it hits hard." -- Rev.
Don Schiemann, father of Const. Peter Schiemann