A Saskatchewan man who killed his parents and son and left his daughter dead has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of being released for at least 25 years. The court heard Wednesday that Nathaniel Carrier had committed suicide with a woman he had met online and texted her that he did not want his children to suffer “at his loss” and wanted to take them with him to the afterlife. Zoe. Mr Carrier pleaded guilty in January to the first-degree murder of his seven-year-old son, Bentlee, and the attempted murder of his five-year-old daughter, Kendrah, in March 2020. He also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the deaths of his parents, Denis Carrier and Sandra Henry, both 56 years old. A statement from Queen Albert’s court read that Mr Carrier had met a woman on the Internet last week and agreed to commit suicide by driving head-on into a loaded logging truck. But before heading to La Ronge, Sask., To meet the woman, Mr. Carrier stayed at his parents’ house and cared for his children for the weekend under a custody agreement with their mother. The statement said Mr Carrier turned off a security camera on Saturday afternoon and killed his mother in her room. He said he then killed his father in the garage. The court heard that both had their necks cut off and there were indications that Mr. Career had hit his father with a metal bat. Mr Carrier entered the children ‘s adjoining bedroom and cut their throats, the court said. He then sent another message to the woman saying that he had done “the necessary thing”. It would be almost a whole day until the victims were found when Mrs. Henry’s colleague and friend came to check on her. Elder Carrier, Mrs. Henry, and Bentlee were all found dead and covered in blood. Kendrah, despite having her neck amputated, was conscious in her bed with her blue eyes wide open. Suffering from shock and unable to speak, he was rushed to a local hospital before being taken to Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, where he would remain for almost two months for several surgeries. Police found Mr Carrier in La Ron .e, where he had gone to carry out the suicide pact. He was taken to a psychiatric unit and handed over two knives to the paramedics on the way. Dozens of family members appeared in court to convict Mr Carrier. Five statements were read about the impact of the victims, including the children’s mother, Heather Lynn Sumners, who spent more than an hour recalling the deaths and emotional turmoil as she ran to Edmonton to see her daughter. “I will hate you forever,” he said, looking straight at Mr. Career. Ms Summers said her daughter had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was suffering from nightmares. Kendrah is afraid of the dark and is afraid of men she does not know, she said. “You took a piece from me and broke it into hundreds of pieces,” Ms Summers told Mr Carrier. Troy Ermine, wife and father of Ms. Sumners of her other child, Alex, said Kendrah will remember forever what happened to her when she looked in the mirror. She said she asked him on one occasion if he would be Dad’s young man and help protect her from bad people. A report said Mr Carrier had been suicidal for 10 years and had worsened since the outbreak. He was also diagnosed with schizophrenia. He said he never received or asked for help. One of Mr Carrier’s jobs at the time was as a hospital attendant, and he said this had an impact on his mental health. He also said he heard voices, including his dead grandmother, who told him to kill his family. Defense attorney Angus McLean advised the court that his client had told him not to minimize what had happened. “There can be no excuse for what he did,” he said. Mr Carrier stood in the detainee’s box and said he understood that nothing he could say would change what had happened. “But I just wanted everyone to know that I regret my decisions. “I did the opposite of what I had to do and I will spend the rest of my life thinking about it.” Mr. Carrier will not be eligible for parole until 2045, around the time Kendrah turns 30. He is also barred from having contact with Ms. Summers, Centers and his two brothers. Our Morning and Afternoon newsletters are compiled by Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
