Robert Thomas gets life sentence for ‘heartless’ murder of Megan Gallagher

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Loved ones of Megan Michelle Gallagher wiped at tears in a Saskatoon King’s Bench courtroom as they watched the sentencing of the first person to admit responsibility for her death.

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Robert “Bobby” James Joseph Thomas, 29, received a life sentence with no chance of parole for 18 years after a joint submission from the Crown and defence on Friday.

Thomas pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-degree murder in the 2020 death of Gallagher, who was 30 years old when she went missing.

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“You have forsaken your ability to walk free among us,” Justice Daryl Labach said on Friday as he announced his sentencing decision.

Thomas, dressed in an orange sweatshirt, sat in the prisoner’s box as Labach went over the facts of the case.

Last month, Labach imposed a publication ban on the entire proceeding — including the facts of the case, sentencing arguments and even victim impact statements — citing a concern for trial fairness for four co-accused who are still before the court.

Neither Crown prosecutor Tyla Olenchuk nor defence lawyer Mike Nolin had requested the ban.

Labach described the killing of Gallagher as “callous,” saying what happened to her was “appalling beyond words.”

Second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence, but parole eligibility can be set between 10 and 25 years. Upon release, Thomas will also be subject to a wide array of conditions, including being prohibited from owning weapons and being required to submit a DNA sample for the national database.

Thomas’s supporters wept as Labach announced his sentence.

Gallagher’s father Brian, speaking outside the courthouse, paused when asked if he thought justice was served with the sentence.

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“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to answer that,” he said. “Justice is just a part of a society that we live in. The young man is going to be incarcerated for a long time. There are no winners in this.

“There are so many tragedies. His family in there is just as deeply affected by this as we are. We’re all in a state of shock and deep suffering, and so are they. The whole community around us is paying the price for this.”

Limited facts of the case were presented in court during three previous sentencing hearings last year.

Gallagher was last seen on surveillance video at a Saskatoon convenience store on Sept. 20, 2020. Her disappearance went unsolved until her remains were found along the banks of the South Saskatchewan River near St. Louis, Sask. on Sept. 29, 2022, more than two years later.

That same year, nine people were charged in connection with her disappearance and death. Three people have been sentenced; charges were stayed against one man, and four more are scheduled for trial.

— With StarPhoenix files from Bre McAdam

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