The family of a man who was fatally shot in the back of the head on Poundmaker Cree Nation in Saskatchewan expresses dissatisfaction with the sentence handed to his killer. Craig Fox, aged 29, received a life imprisonment verdict last week at Battleford Court of King’s Bench, with a stipulation of no parole for 15 years. Fox was convicted of second-degree murder following a trial for the killing of Lee Bearsears, who was 31 years old at the time of his death on October 15, 2023.
Lee’s mother, Leslie Bearsears, voiced her disappointment outside the court, stating that Fox’s parole eligibility in 15 years is inadequate considering her son will never return and misses out on witnessing his children grow up. Victoria Kennedy, referring to Lee as her “little cousin,” mentioned her efforts to support Leslie and highlighted the profound impact of the tragedy on the tightly-knit communities of Poundmaker Cree Nation and nearby Little Pine First Nation, where Fox hailed from.
Describing the incident, it was revealed that Fox shot Lee in the back of the head while seated behind him in a truck before abandoning Lee’s body in a field on the reserve located south of the Battlefords. Following the killing, Fox boasted about the act, referring to it as “bodied a skinner.” Justice Rochelle Wempe noted that there was evidence indicating “skinner” as a colloquial term for a child molester.
During the trial, it was established that Lee had been charged with sexual assault involving a minor, with a pending preliminary hearing scheduled for early 2024. Leslie Bearsears emphasized the need for a balanced perspective on the accusations against her son, stating his innocence.
In the sentencing deliberation, Wempe underscored the murder’s vigilante justice motivation as a key aggravating factor influencing the sentence. Second-degree murder mandates a life imprisonment term with parole ineligibility for a minimum of 10 years and up to 25 years. The defense advocated for a 10-year non-eligibility period, while the Crown pushed for 15 to 20 years.
Wempe condemned vigilantism as an assault on the rule of law, leading to chaos. She highlighted that citizens taking the law into their own hands undermines the legal system’s fundamental principles of the rule of law and presumption of innocence.
