SHORT SENTENCE?

Is a 12- and 15-year jail sentence harsh enough for two men who helped
James Roszko in March 2005 kill four Mounties, including Lac La Biche's
own son, Const. Leo Johnston?

Dennis Cheeseman won't serve his full 12-year prison sentence. Three years
will be knocked off because he gave an early guilty plea, as well as an
additional 21.5 months for serving half of that in pre-trial custody.

In the end, he will serve seven years, two months and two weeks for his
role in the murder of four RCMP members. He didn't pull the triger, but he
knew that Roszko would. He's heard on tape telling an undercover officer
what he knew Roszko was going to do on March 3, 2005.

"Well, obviously we knew he that he was going back to kill RCMP officers,"
Cheeseman confesses on tape.

His counterpart, Shawn Hennessey got a 15-year sentence. But like
Cheeseman, he gave an early guilty plea, which takes three years away from
his jail term. He also gets 19.5 months off his sentence for serving just
under 10 months in pre-trial custody. Hennessey's actual prison sentence
becomes 10 years, four months, two weeks.

Just like Cheeseman, Hennessey knew something was going to happen after
they dropped off Roszko at his farm. Hennessey thought the cop killer was
going to burn down the Quonset, and that was OK with him since the Quonset
was hiding a marijuana grow-op which he was involved in.

So is their setence enough punishment for their crime? Probably not. The
fact is, Roszko would most likely not have been able to return to his farm
and kill the four Mounties if it wasn't for Cheeseman and Hennessey giving
him that ride. And even after committing that wrong, Cheeseman and
Hennessey could have still prevented the March 3, 2005 Mayerthorpe tragedy
by placing a phone call to police. But they didn't. Instead they went
home, and kept their crime a secret from many, including law enforcement.
If it wasn't for the RCMP's undercover operation, Hennessey and Cheeseman
might still be free.