Parole records reveal Saskatchewan suspect's violent history

Long before he became the mainsuspect in a mass killing and the subject of a multi-province alert, Myles Sanderson had a history of explosive violence, according to Parole Board of Canada documents from February of this year.

Sanderson's contacts with the criminal justice system span more than two decades. As an adult,he racked up 59 convictions for assault, assault with a weapon, uttering threats, assaulting a police officerand robbery. Roughly half of the offences were for breaches or failure to comply with pre-existing orders. Because of his violent behaviour, he has a lifetime weapons ban.

Sanderson, 32, was one of two suspects wanted by police after a string of fatal stabbings inSaskatchewan on Sunday left 10 people dead and many more injured. One of the suspects, Damien Sanderson, 31, was found dead Monday. Police are still searching for Myles, who is Damien's brother.

Myles faces three counts of first-degree murder; Damien had beencharged with one count of first-degree murder. Both men werealsocharged withattempted murderand break and enter.

Theparole documents paint a picture of a man who struggled with drug and alcohol use in late childhood and notethat Myles Sanderson started using cocaine at age 14.

"You said that your regular use of cocaine, marijuana, and hard alcohol would make you 'lose your mind'and that you can be easily angered when drunk, but are a different person when sober," the paroledocuments state.

The documents contain details of specific moments of rage, including a 2017 incident in which Sanderson forced his way into an ex-girlfriend's hometalking about a gangand punched a hole in the bathroom door where children were hiding in a bathtub for protection.

Once outside the home, Sanderson threw a cement block at a woman's car windshield.A few dayslater, the documents say Sanderson threatened to murder a band store employee and then burn down his parents' home.

Attackedpolice officer

In 2018, Sanderson stabbed two men with a fork and beat another man until he lost consciousness in a ditch.In June of that year, he repeatedly kicked a police officer in the face while being taken into custody.

The documents also make reference to Sanderson's childhood.His parents separated when he was nine and he grew up in an environment "involving physical abuse, domestic violence and instability."

While incarcerated,Sanderson had trouble following the rules and got in trouble twice for possessing contraband.Despite those issues, in February of 2021, his security classification was reduced and he was transferred to a healing lodge.

Risk assessment tools found Sanderson to be inmedium-to-high and high-risk categories to reoffend.

Sanderson was released from minimum security on statutory release in August2021, according to the documents, but the release was suspended in November of that year when his ex-spouse reported that they had been living together in contravention of the conditions.

The statutory release came with sixconditions that prohibited Sanderson from consuming alcohol and drugs, required him to follow a treatment plan for substance abuse and domestic violence, and to refrain from intimate relationships with women without written permission from his parole officer.

Sanderson was also orderedto avoid people involved in criminal activity and drugs and was barred from contact with four people, identified only by their initials.

Concern about behaviour

The documents state that while on release,Sanderson stayed sober, got a joband was seeing a therapist and was engaged in cultural ceremonies.They note he was working on managing his emotions and felt that his risk factors were manageable in the community.

But they alsonotedthere were long-standing concerns about his behaviour.

WATCH | MylesSanderson struggled with alcohol and drugs:

Sask. stabbing suspect had violent history, parole documents reveal

2 years ago

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The parole documents for Myles Sanderson, one of the suspects in a series of fatal stabbings in Saskatchewan, paint a disturbing picture of an explosively violent offender with a lengthy criminal record.

The February parole documents reveal the board ultimately decided to cancel the November suspension of the release but left a reprimand in his file.

"It is the board's opinion that you will not present an undue risk to society if released on statutory release and that your release will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration to society as a law-abiding citizen," the documents state.

By May, Crime Stoppers had issued an alert for Sanderson, who was described as being "unlawfully at large."

Saskatoon police earlier confirmed they've been searching for Myles Sandersonsince then, afterhe stopped meeting with his assigned caseworker.