Megan Gallagher case: defendant pleads guilty to indignity over human remains
Brian Gallagher hugged his daughter Lindsey Bishop on Monday as the family went to court to hear Ernest Whitehead plead guilty.
One of the nine defendants in the death of Megan Gallagher, Ernest Whitehead, pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of indignity over human remains, two and a half years after the young woman disappeared. She was last seen in Saskatoon on September 19, 2020.
Nine people are facing various charges in connection with the death of Megan Gallagher.
Ernest Whitehead filed his plea of guilty through his attorney at a hearing before Judge Brad Mitchell, who set May 17 as the date for the hearing of sentencing.
Ernest Whitehead was not in court on Monday. The defendant is not in custody, said Crown prosecutor Tyla Olenchuk.
This absence was criticized by the victim's family, who called her a dehumanizing. It's important for the defendants to see us, to see what was done to us, said Megan's father, Brian Gallagher.
As for his mother-in-law, Deb Gallagher, she said it was disrespectful that Ernest Whitehead was not present. She added that the latter had tried to approach them in the past, but the court had not allowed him to do so. We would like to know what he would have to say to us, she said.
The family will return to court on Wednesday to read victim impact statements at the hearing of John Wayne Sanderson, 44, who will plead guilty to the charge of indignity over human remains. However, according to Megan's sister, Lindsey Bishop, coming to court and hearing about the circumstances of this tragedy becomes increasingly difficult over time.
I find that I have heard so many things that I become numb to it. I also can't fully assimilate them, so I put them on the back burner until I have a few minutes, days or weeks to be able to accept them, she says.
< p class="e-p">In November, police confirmed that the remains found in October 2022 in the South Saskatchewan River, 130 kilometers northeast of Saskatoon, were those of Megan Gallagher.
Four people have been charged with first-degree murder in his death, while others face charges of aggravated assault, forcible confinement and indignity over human remains .
With information from Dayne Patterson
