alberta RCMP deaths › deadmonton 2005 › deadmonton › edmonton

the mr. big sting, part two | second court appearance

latest developments | index to further coverage

It started as a routine investigation of stolen property. It ended with the death of four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers.

In early 2005 Bill Sweeney, Commanding Officer of RCMP “K” Division, addressed a grieving nation.

"You have to go back to about 1885 in RCMP history during the Northwest Rebellion to have a loss of this magnitude."

Four RCMP officers had been killed by James Roszko on his farm near Mayerthorpe, Alberta on March 3rd. The 46-year-old gunman and long-time police hater shot himself soon after he felled the men.

On July 8th, 2007, Deputy Commissioner Sweeney addressed a news conference at "K" Division headquarters in Edmonton and announced two arrests had been made – the first in connection with the Mounties' deaths.


Cheeseman	Hennessey

Dennis Keegan Rodney Cheeseman, 23, and Shawn William Hennessey, 28, both of Barrhead, Alberta, were each charged with four counts of first-degree murder. Both are pictured above in high school yearbook photographs.

Sweeney announced the arrests as he read from a prepared statement.

"After 28 months of investigation including a lengthy undercover operation and continous support and consultation with our colleagues in the Provincial Crown’s Office, Dennis Keegan Rodney Cheeseman, age 23 and Shawn William Hennessey, age 28 of Barrhead, Alberta have been charged with four counts of first degree murder, one count each for the deaths of Constable Anthony Gordon, Constable Leo Johnston, Constable Brock Myrol and Constable Peter Schiemann."

Cheeseman and Hennessey were scheduled to appear in Mayerthorpe Provincial Court on July 12th, 2007.

To read Sweeney's entire announcement, and for details of the question and answer session that followed, visit the July 8th, 2007 News Conference page.

The Latest Developments

Mr. Big Sting, part two

On August 18th, 2007 the National Post ran a story about the making of a documentary that takes a hard look at the Mr. Big sting technique » full details »

Second Court Appearance

On Thursday, August 9th the second court appearance for the two men charged in connection with the death of four Alberta Mounties took place in the small Mayerthorpe Provincial Building courthouse.

Shawn Hennessey and Dennis Cheeseman did not appear in court. Cheeseman remained in the Edmonton Remand Centre while Hennessey continued to be held at a remand centre in Red Deer. Both men were arrested during the first weekend of July.

At the hearing the only matter dealt with was setting a date for a preliminary hearing: May 12th, 2008. A month was set aside for the hearing which allows a judge to determine if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.

The preliminary hearing will take place in a provincial court in Stony Plain which has larger courtroom facilities. Should the case go to trial, proceedings would be held in Court of Queen's Bench in Edmonton.

As was the case at the first court appearance, the media was out in force. The small Mayerthorpe courtroom was packed with family members and friends of the two accused in addition to a heavy security presence » full details »

Further Coverage

After the July 8th, 2007 news conference had concluded, media coverage took several directions.

The Families

Only a few members of the families of the slain officers were in attendance at the July 8th, 2007 news conference, but the actions of one became a symbol of early media coverage.

RCMP Cpl. Wayne Oakes said most of the families had declined comment when made aware of the arrests.

But within a day, many of those related to the four fallen officers spoke out. Most were relieved by the news and spoke of their support for the RCMP.

Others, though, felt differently » full details »

The Follow-up

With the official word from the RCMP now on the record, Edmonton media outlets ramped up their coverage of a story with nation-wide interest.

Almost encouraged by Cpl. Wayne Oakes to dig into the background of the story after the news conference concluded, reporters scrambled to see who could uncover what first » full details »

Ongoing Developments

After the initial news conference announcing the two arrests, the RCMP investigation continued.

On July 10th, 2007 several media outlets reported two relatives of the men charged had been arrested – and later released after being told they too could face the same charges of first-degree murder.

Security concerns at the small Mayerthorpe courthouse were addressed as well as the location of future hearings.

A well-attended July 12th court appearance by two lawyers shed no additional light on the charges brought against Shawn Hennessey and Dennis Cheeseman. The two men themselves did not appear; in their place were prominent Edmonton defence lawyers.

CTV Edmonton reported RCMP used a "Mr. Big" sting operation to gather evidence against Hennessey and Cheeseman.

Dennis Cheeseman was reported as being despondent and refusing visitors at the Edmonton Remand Centre. The Mountie that announced the breakthrough in the Mayerthorpe case, Deputy Commissioner Bill Sweeney, was seconded to act as new RCMP Commissioner William Elliot's right-hand man in Ottawa.

On August 9th, 2007 lawyers for Cheeseman and Hennessey made a second court appearance and a date for a preliminary hearing was set.

On August 18th, 2007 the National Post ran a story about the making of a documentary that takes a hard look at the Mr. Big sting technique » full details »

For more about the Mayerthorpe shooting, visit the Last Link's Final Credits Alberta RCMP Deaths page, written as the 2005 tragedy was unfolding.

Another resource of note is the Shooting Leaves 4 RCMP Officers Dead page at www.primetimecrime.com.

The RCMP's official press release covering the arrests can be viewed in its entirety online at their site.

deadmonton 2005 - alberta RCMP deaths