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Third person charged in Danil Tsannie's homicide sentenced

Erik Henricks sentenced to almost 13 years: 11 years for manslaughter and 20 months consecutive for intimidating a justice participant.

SASKATOON – The third and final person charged in the death of 16-year-old Danil Tsannie in 2015 has been sentenced in Saskatoon Provincial Court.

Erik Henricks was charged with first-degree murder but on the third day of his preliminary hearing, he pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter.

"Mr. Henricks plead guilty to manslaughter on Thursday, May 18 and received a sentence of 11 years (less remand),” said Saskatoon Senior Crown Prosecutor Lana Merelli. “He was also sentenced for intimidating a justice participant and received a consecutive sentence of 20 months.

“From the facts that were elicited at the preliminary inquiry, Mr. Henricks did not pull the trigger; however, he was responsible for setting up the victim to be at that particular residence and was involved in the physical beating when the gun went off,” said Merelli.

In March, Keshia Kakakaway pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison. In December 2022, Lance Littlecrow pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Tsannie’s body was found outside a home at 120 Avenue I North in Saskatoon around noon on April 1, 2015. Police say an autopsy confirmed that Tsannie died from a gunshot wound.

During Kakakaway's sentencing hearing court heard that Tsannie’s murder was gang-related and he was lured to the house to get a “minute,” which is a gang term for a one-minute beating.

In a 2018 media release, Saskatoon Police said that at the time of Tsannie's death he was involved in the gang lifestyle.  In a 2018 video the family provided to police pleading to the public for tips, Tsannie’s brother Jonathan Tsannie said Danil had just joined a street gang when he was murdered.

“He certainly became friends with the wrong people and within a three-and-a-half month period that’s what getting into that lifestyle happened," said Jonathan Tsannie. "He was a very young vulnerable kid willing to do anything and they used him for a lot of bad crap."

Even though Tsannie became entangled in the gang lifestyle, in the video to police, his mother described him as a caring son.

“On Mother’s Day he made a card saying ‘I love you.’ A lot of good memories. I miss his smile. I miss him so much.”

ljoy@glaciermedia.ca

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