‘An execution, plain and simple': man who killed neighbour sentenced to life
A Manitoba man convicted of murdering a neighbour allegedly caught stealing from him on his rural property has been sentenced to mandatory life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Eric Wildman, 38, was convicted of first-degree murder following a jury trial earlier this year for the June 2021 killing of 40-year-old Clifford Joseph.
'The facts are horrific and whatever version of facts the jury accepted, it amounts to an execution, plain and simple,' said King's Bench Justice Rick Saull.
JASON PARKS / PICTON GAZETTE FILES
Eric Wildman leaves the Picton, Ont. Superior Courthouse in November 2024, where he was found guilty of attempted murder of an Ontario police officer prior to his first-degree murder conviction in Manitoba.
Wildman's sentencing was adjourned following the February jury verdict in part for the preparation of victim impact statements, but none were ultimately provided to court.
Wildman and Joseph lived on neighbouring properties near Stead, about 90 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.
Prosecutors argued Wildman caught Joseph stealing a winch from his property in the early hours of June 7, ran him down with his vehicle, breaking his jaw, leg and ribs, then moved him to a bushy area a few kilometres away, where he shot him at least two times, including once in the back of the head.
Wildman called RCMP from his mother's Winnipeg home on June 9 and claimed that on the night of Joseph's disappearance, he had been staying at a friend's home, a claim the friend later refuted, jurors heard.
Investigators found Wildman's Chevrolet Impala outside another friend's house in Winnipeg. Inside the car, police found an empty gun case and a receipt from an auto parts store dated June 9, where jurors heard Wildman had purchased a hood and replaced it in the parking lot. Prosecutors alleged Wildman replaced the hood to cover up the damage that occurred when he ran over Joseph.
After RCMP towed Wildman's vehicle, he called Mounties from his mother's home to report a handgun missing from his Stead property. Prosecutors allege Wildman knew police would have found the gun case in his car and claimed it was stolen to divert suspicion.
SUPPLIED
Clifford Joseph, 40, was killed by his neighbour in June 2021 in what a judge described as a horrific execution.
Police told him he was a suspect in Joseph's killing and to stay where he was. Instead, Wildman took a taxi to the airport, rented a car and drove to Belleville, Ont., where police arrested him June 18.
Jurors were not given details about Wildman's arrest, which came after he shot at police who were executing an arrest warrant at the home where Wildman was staying. Last November, an Ontario jury convicted Wildman of one count each of attempted murder and possession of a restricted firearm with readily available ammunition. He was sentenced in March to 10 years in prison
Weekday Mornings
A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day.
Wildman testified at the Ontario trial, claiming he thought police were home invaders and that he was protecting himself.
'If ever there was post-offence conduct that would suggest somebody's… guilty of the charges, this is pretty convincing,' Crown attorney Chris Vanderhooft told Saull on Monday. 'It's as if the murder wasn't bad enough, he could have killed police officers, too.'
Wildman's Ontario sentence will effectively be served concurrent to his murder sentence and have no impact on when he is eligible for parole, court heard. Wildman will be eligible for parole in June 2046.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES
After Manitoba police told Wildman he was a suspect in Joseph's death, Wildman fled to Ontario, where he was ultimately arrested.
Wildman first stood trial for Joseph's killing in 2023, but it ended in a mistrial after defence lawyer Martin Glazer fell ill and was unable to continue.
dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Dean PritchardCourts reporter
Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.
Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
12 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Saskatchewan lays charges in wildfires while 1,000 more flee in Manitoba
Prairie wildfires developed on two fronts Friday, as 1,000 more Manitoba residents were forced to flee their homes and Saskatchewan RCMP charged two people with starting blazes. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told a news conference that one charge relates to starting a fire near La Ronge, which has forced 7,000 people from the area. 'The RCMP have informed us that they have now charged a couple of individuals,' Moe said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW An 18-year-old woman from Montreal Lake Cree Nation and a 36-year-old man from Pelican Narrows each face one count of arson, said RCMP. It's alleged the woman set the fire in a rural area near La Ronge. The man is accused of setting fires in a ditch near the turnoff to Snowden, northeast of Prince Albert. As of Friday, Saskatchewan had 24 active wildfires and Moe said between 10,000 and 15,000 people are out of their communities. 'Many if not virtually all of the fires that we're dealing with in Saskatchewan, although not intentionally, are human caused. Some of those have been intentionally human caused,' Moe said. Saskatchewan and Manitoba are both under a state of emergency, which makes it easier for different levels of government to co-ordinate a response. Manitoba has also received help from the military to evacuate residents, mainly in remote First Nations. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Moe has faced calls from the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations and the Opposition NDP to follow suit. 'Every available resource in Canada must be utilized to combat these wildfires,' FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron wrote in a letter to Moe. 'We cannot afford to let critical assistance go unused.' The premier said while his Saskatchewan Party government is in daily contact with federal officials, provincial emergency crews have so far been able to get evacuees out. Moe said the Canadian Red Cross was also working to set up shelters for evacuees in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. In Manitoba, the town of Snow Lake issued a mandatory evacuation order Friday due to a large wildfire threatening the area east of Flin Flon. 'You must leave because of the danger to your health and safety,' reads a notice on the town's Facebook page. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW That fire, which had grown to more than 3,000 square kilometres, has already forced out all 5,000 residents of the city of Flin Flon and about 1,000 more in surrounding homes and cottages. With Snow Lake evacuees added in, about 19,000 were out of their homes in Manitoba. About 27 fires were burning in the province, with eight classified as out of control. Earlier Friday, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said evacuees have found places to stay with friends or family, in hotels or in congregate shelters. Getting evacuees into private accommodations is tricky, he said, because many hotel rooms are being reserved for people with 'intense' medical issues. 'We just have to do a balancing act,' Kinew said. 'At this point, the big-picture challenge around rooms has largely been addressed. 'It's now just about the daily balancing act of triaging people coming in and people who are already in shelters and matching them up with rooms.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Shelters have been set up in Winnipeg, Thompson and Brandon. The City of Flin Flon said on social media that no structures have been lost in the community or across the boundary in nearby Creighton, Sask. 'Winds in the area are now blowing from the south, resulting in heavy smoke and fire moving towards the south side of Flin Flon,' it said. The city added that fire protection, including sprinklers, have been set up and firefighters are working to protect property. Provincial fire officials said evacuations have been completed at First Nations at Pukatawagan and Cross Lake. In northern Alberta, approximately 1,300 residents of the town of Swan Hills were allowed to return to their homes Thursday, about a week after fleeing from a wildfire. But about 340 kilometres west in the County of Grande Prairie, people in the Municipal District of Opportunity were ordered out. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. — With files from Steve Lambert in Winnipeg
CBC
12 hours ago
- CBC
Man in Watson Lake, Yukon, facing charges related to armed robbery
A man in Watson Lake, Yukon, is facing multiple charges related to a robbery with a firearm May 23. In a news release Friday, RCMP said they received a call of a man who had pointed a gun at someone, assaulted them and stole property. The victim was injured and treated at the hospital. The man, arrested June 4, is charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, robbery with a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon. After executing a search warrant police also seized ammunition, what police believe to be controlled drugs and cocaine, and a small-calibre modified firearm. The man has been remanded into custody.
CTV News
13 hours ago
- CTV News
Elements of ex-Olympian's drug network ‘remain in place' in Canada: RCMP
Photos released by the FBI show Ryan James Wedding who is wanted on a number of charges. (FBI) The RCMP say they believe Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympian accused of orchestrating a billion-dollar international drug-trafficking organization, still has a presence in Canada. 'There certainly are elements of his network that remain in place,' RCMP Central Region Chief Supt. Chris Leather told reporters on Friday during an unrelated news conference, when asked about the former snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin. 'I couldn't say much more than that at this time because of multiple ongoing investigations involving ourselves and our key policing partners, including Toronto police and the Ontario Provincial Police.' Police in Canada and the U.S. continue to search for Wedding, who is wanted on a number of charges in connection with their investigation into his alleged drug trafficking ring. The RCMP have said Wedding poses 'one of the largest organized crime threats to Canada, even as a fugitive.' In March, Wedding, who goes by the names 'Giant,' 'Public Enemy,' and 'El Jefe,' was added to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations' Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. There is a reward of US$10 million for anyone who can lead investigators to his arrest. At that time, officials said they believed the 2002 Winter Olympics athlete was still in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa drug cartel. Earlier this year, U.S. prosecutors alleged Wedding still had access to a 'network of hitmen' as they sought additional protections to keep the identities of confidential informants and cooperating witnesses in the case hidden. Wedding, along with his alleged 'second in command,' Canadian Andrew Clark, is also accused of directing four combined murders in Ontario in furtherance of their alleged drug empire. Their victims include an Indian couple who were shot and killed in Caledon in Nov. 2023, in what police said was a case of mistaken identity. With files from CTV News Toronto's Phil Tsekouras
