Victim’s brother says Myles Sanderson was ‘looking for fame’

The brother of a woman stabbed to death by 32-year-old Myles Sanderson says the killer was seeking notoriety.

Darryl Burns’ sister Lydia Gloria Burns was one of 11 people stabbed to death by Sanderson on the James Smith Cree Nation and in nearby Weldon.

“To me, he was looking for fame. He was looking for some kind of recognition,” Burns said, after viewing a graphic video depicting what happened to Sanderson when RCMP officers arrested him in a grassy ditch alongside Highway 11 near Rosthern on Sept. 7, 2022.

Shortly after Sanderson’s arrest, he died from what pathologist Dr. Shaun Landham described as acute cocaine toxicity. A rolled-up bill and a bag of white powder were found in Sanderson’s getaway vehicle.

A coroner’s inquest examining his death is underway in Saskatoon.

While Burns didn’t wish death on anyone, he said the fact that Sanderson was dead was reassuring at the time.

“Looking back on it, we wanted a sense of safety and more than that, the danger was gone. It was such a relief again. Now, I feel we can start our healing. For myself, I can start my healing now,” he said.

Burns said he hoped the healing would spread through the James Smith Cree Nation, knowing the danger had passed.

Myles Sanderson. (RCMP/Submitted)

Video played during the inquest on Tuesday showed Sanderson mocking police after his arrest.

“You should have shot me,” Sanderson said.

Sgt. Ken Kane, a Saskatoon police officer, testified that before his death, Sanderson asked officers “How many bodies are on me?” in reference to the number of people he had killed.

“He took his own life, which was the easy way for him,” Burns said.

If Sanderson had survived, Burns said there was always a chance that he would eventually be released on parole.

“Would that anger and all the turmoil that’s inside of him, would it intensify again, and him come out a more angry person?” he asked.

Burns said he appreciated the efforts and transparency of the RCMP throughout the inquest and during a previous inquest held in Melfort.

“For me, that is a sign that you know what? Maybe there is a time for reconciliation,” he said.

The inquest is expected to run until March 1. More police officers and paramedics are expected to testify on Wednesday.