Court case surrounding La Ronge woman’s death reaches conclusion

By Nigel Maxwell

Editor’s note: the following story contains graphic descriptions of violence

Acknowledging the fact it’s been almost five years since his daughter was found deceased, and having sat through multiple court hearings and a lengthy trial, Willie Billette says the emotional toll has been grueling.

Billette was surrounded by family as he left Court of King’s Bench on Wednesday, hopefully for a final time. Roughly an hour prior, Deborah McKenzie and Sharise Sutherland-Kayseas, who represented the last of the people charged in the death of Sheena Billette, received respective sentences of 10 and 12 years for manslaughter. A four-year sentence for kidnapping will also run concurrently.

While the typical range of sentencing for a conviction of this nature is four to 12 years, the Crown had been seeking life for both, and has 30 days to appeal.

“That’s why I don’t feel closure today. And maybe after 30 days from now if there’s no appeal, then maybe I can feel that closure,” Willie said.

On Dec. 23, 2019, Sheena’s lifeless body was found on a frozen highway, just north of La Ronge. There were signs she was severely beaten. She was stabbed 47 times.

“I’m not sure if justice was done today and like I said in my victim impact statement, no matter what the judge gives you, you gave us a life sentence,” Willie stated.

According to evidence heard at the trial, Sheena was first picked up at a house in La Ronge and driven to another residence where McKenzie and a few others had gathered. Owing McKenzie a drug debt, Sheena was humiliated, forced to beg and struck multiple times in the head by Sutherland-Kayseas. She was then forced into the back of a car and driven to a remote location.

As per the tracks left in the snow, the young mother walked about 250 meters before collapsing. At the time she was only wearing a hoodie and sweatpants.

Reading from her written decision, Madame Justice Zerr was visibly emotional as she reviewed the victim impact statements that discussed at length a family in pain and mentioned the fact that at time Sheena died, they were planning a funeral instead of celebrating Christmas.

“The impact of this trauma will echo for generations,” Zerr said.

With respect to McKenzie’s role, she was the one who directed the beating and whose car was used to transport Sheena. After Sheena was left abandoned, it was McKenzie who made attempts to cover up what happened and instructed a co-accused to hide the car and report it as stolen.

Sutherland-Kayseas meanwhile was described as the muscle and has a lengthy criminal record that includes 25 convictions, including one in 2022 for criminal negligence causing death. It has to do with the death of Dylan Chretien in October, 2019, almost two months before Sheena was killed.

With credit for time spent in remand, McKenzie has roughly five years left to serve and Sutherland-Kayseas, has about nine years but it won’t start until after her previous five year sentence is concluded.

Zerr noted that following her arrest in January, 2020, and during her time in custody at Pine Grove, Sutherland-Kayseas had accumulated nine convictions related to drugs, fighting and contraband.

It was however after the death of a friend and eventual transfer to Edmonton away from her former gang influences, where Sutherland-Kayseas made strides to turn her life around. She was recently described by staff as a model inmate and offered placements in various positions of trust and mentorship.

In a letter she wrote to the Billette family, Sutherland-Kayseas apologized for her actions and expressed a determination to change.

Reading from her written decision, Madame Justice Zerr stated there was not sufficient evidence to show either McKenzie or Sutherland-Kayseas was directly responsible for Sheena’s death. While citing a number of other court cases where a sentence for manslaughter was higher, Zerr explained in those cases, the accused was found either directly involved or was a party to the offence.

When Sheena was dropped off on the highway, McKenzie was still at the residence and there was no evidence to show Sutherland-Kayseas left the vehicle.

Previously sentenced in the case was Charlie Charles, who was 21 at the time of the incident, and while being a party to what transpired but was not involved in the actual assault, received eight years for manslaughter. Admitting to consuming cocaine, Charles said he had no memory of the incident.

Telsa Jane Mckenzie, who was behind the wheel of the vehicle and later told to hide it a residence in Christopher Lake, was sentenced in January of last year and received just over four and a half years.

Also accused with accessory after the fact was Kandi Rose Ratt, but her charge was later stayed by the Crown. The other person who was in the car and in the back seat, was seriously assaulted during an unrelated matter and at last word remains in hospital with significant head trauma, with no recovery prognosis.

In a statement provided by Crown Prosecutor Shawn Blackman, he described the case as both particularly challenging and complex.

“At the end of the day the Honourable Court recognized and confirmed the individual roles each of Ms. McKenzie and Ms. Sutherland-Kayseas played in the death of Sheena Billette, and sentenced each of Ms. McKenzie and Ms. Sutherland-Kayseas to 10 and 12 years respectively. What remains is that the death of Sheena was a terrible tragedy,” he wrote.

“Sheena was deprived of the opportunity of a full life and her children, family and friends and community have been deprived of her love, company and support. No sentence can restore the loss of her life. That loss is final.”

Family support

Sitting in the courtroom during the trial and also on Wednesday were Deb and Brian Gallagher, whose own daughter Meghan was missing for two years before her body was found in the South Saskatchewan River in September of 2022. Four people have been sentenced.

“There’s so many similarities with so many cases that are going on on right now around our province, and something has to be done,” Brian said. “And any way we can support those other families and they can support us, it gives us strength.”

Prior to the arguments stage of sentencing, a number of victim impact statements were read in court. The Gallagher’s submission was turned away, as they were not deemed to be family or community members.

“I think the courts still are not realizing we are family, we belong to a MMIW family and even disallowing victim impact statements they’re telling us we aren’t victims. We are victims and it doesn’t matter we never met Sheena, we are all part of the same family, fighting the same struggles,” Deb said.