After two decades, Curtis Dagenais, the perpetrator of the tragic killing of two Saskatchewan RCMP officers and injuring another, is set to return to court in Saskatoon later this month for a unique reason – his truck. The 1986 blue GMC 1500, currently stored at RCMP headquarters in Regina, is the subject of a forfeiture application by the Crown seeking its destruction. However, Dagenais is contesting this move.

Back in July 2006, Dagenais was behind the wheel of the said truck when confronted by three RCMP constables in Spiritwood, leading to a fatal altercation. The pursuit culminated in a collision between the officers’ vehicle and Dagenais’s truck, resulting in the tragic shooting deaths of Constables Marc Bourdages and Robin Cameron, with Constable Michelle Knopp sustaining injuries.

In 2009, Dagenais was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, receiving three life sentences without parole for 25 years. Despite an unsuccessful appeal in 2012, the truck issue only recently resurfaced in court due to an overlooked forfeiture application.

During the 2021 hearing, Dagenais, maintaining his innocence, opposed the truck’s destruction, citing potential evidence in the bullet-ridden vehicle. With assistance sought from Innocence Canada, a non-profit advocating for wrongfully convicted individuals, Dagenais’s case was temporarily put on hold pending the organization’s decision.

In the most recent court proceedings in May 2022, Dagenais, representing himself, reiterated his objection to the truck’s forfeiture and destruction. Despite an unsuccessful attempt to secure legal representation, Dagenais was granted another adjournment by Justice Daryl Labach, with the forfeiture hearing now scheduled for August 31.