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A Saskatoon judge has decided not to accept testimony from a key Crown witness from Roderick Sutherland’s manslaughter trial.
In October, a jury found Sutherland guilty of manslaughter, unlawful confinement, and offering an indignity to human remains for the killing of Megan Gallagher.
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At the Court of King’s Bench on Friday, Justice John Morrall said the testimony of Robert James Joseph Thomas had “insurmountable credibility issues.”
Thomas is serving a life sentence in prison for the second-degree murder of Gallagher. During his testimony he said Sutherland had knuckle busters and hit Gallagher during a drug and alcohol fuelled party the night she died.
Gallagher was killed in Sutherland’s garage on Weldon Avenue in 2020 and her body was thrown off the St. Louis Bridge into the South Saskatchewan River.
Morrall said the testimony was unreliable, noting that Thomas had previously lied to police and under oath at the preliminary hearing. He also pointed out that Thomas admitted to being awake for 10 days, was using meth and was an undiagnosed schizophrenic at the time of the incident.
“I simply cannot rely on the accuracy of anything he says, primarily given that level of impairment,” Morrall said during the sentencing hearing.
The Crown and defense are set to make sentencing submissions for Sutherland on April 13 2026.
Megan Gallagher was last seen in 2020 on video surveillance at a convenience store on Diefenbaker Drive. Her remains were found two years later along the South Saskatchewan River. (Facebook)
Gallagher family ‘in shock’
“What happened in the courtroom today was disgusting,” said Megan’s father Brian Gallagher outside of the courthouse.
Gallagher said he was “deeply in shock” after hearing Morrall’s decision to not accept the testimony from the Crown’s key witness, noting he felt Thomas had nothing to lose by testifying against Sutherland.
Gallagher also expressed frustration that some witnesses who were expected to testify never appeared at Sutherland’s trial.
“The whole thing is just bizarre, and it’s really getting out of hand,” he said. “I’m angry now, I’m sick to the stomach and I’m frustrated.”
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