Guilty pleas entered in Prince Albert triple homicide

A trial will no longer be required for a Prince Albert man responsible for the death of his parents and young son.

Nathaniel Carrier entered guilty pleas Wednesday to one count of first-degree murder in connection with the death of his son, two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his parents, and one count of attempted murder involving his young daughter who was five at the time of the incident on March 28, 2020.

Heather Sumners, the mother of the two children, watched the proceedings through a video link from her home, and told paNOW it was very hard hearing the words come from Carrier’s mouth.

“Immediately when the video started, my heart just started racing because it was the first time seeing him in almost two years. It’s just a shock,” she said.

Sandra Henry and Denis Carrier lived at the house on MacArthur Drive, along with their son Nathaniel. The two young grandchildren (Bentlee and Kendrah) had been left in his care for the weekend, as had been done on multiple occasions previously as per a verbal agreement.

Three days later, the two adults and seven-year-old Bentlee were found dead, and Kendrah was rushed to hospital in Edmonton. She remained there for nearly two months and underwent a number of surgeries before returning to Prince Albert.

The case was initially set to be tried by judge and jury, and Carrier appeared calm and confident when entering the guilty pleas Wednesday morning at Court of Queen’s Bench in Prince Albert.

Family members have been anxiously waiting for the case to move forward, and Sumners confirmed the hearing brings them closer.

“It’s definitely a first step to closure for both sides of the family, not just my side,” she said.

The case was adjourned to April 13 for sentencing. That will allow time for a pre-sentence report to be prepared. It will also allow the justice hearing the case the opportunity to consider Carrier’s personal history as well as a psychological assessment.

In addition to the numerous family members in court to hear the pleas, four representatives from the Prince Albert Police Service were in attendance to show support to the family.

“I was glad they were there because they are the support for the whole community, not just us,” Sumners said. “It was hard enough doing video from home but having the support in court was very nice.”

By Nigel Maxwell, paNOW