Man sentenced to life in prison for 2021 killing of rural Manitoba neighbour
Eric Wildman's lawyer previously said he plans to file appeal in the case
Clifford Joseph's family didn't express their grief through words at the sentencing of the man convicted of killing him almost four years ago — but they still showed up to court Monday to watch as Eric Wildman was handed a life sentence for Joseph's murder.
Wildman, now 38, sat in the prisoner's box in a Winnipeg courtroom wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans, wrists and ankles shackled, as Court of King's Bench Justice Richard Saull officially handed down his automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years during a brief hearing Monday morning.
In February, a jury convicted Wildman of first-degree murder in 40-year-old Joseph's June 2021 death.
Prosecutors argued during the weeks-long trial Wildman hit Joseph with his vehicle when he caught the victim trying to steal from him on or around June 7, 2021, in the village of Stead, Man., about 80 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, then took the injured man to another location where he executed him.
When Joseph's remains were finally found after a lengthy search, he had a broken leg and jaw. But prosecutors have said what killed him were three gunshots, including one to the back of the head.
Justice Saull said Monday whether the jury was persuaded that Joseph's killing was planned and deliberate, or that it was committed while Wildman was forcibly confining him — two paths to first-degree murder prosecutors had argued for — it doesn't change the gravity of the facts proven at trial.
"The facts are horrific," Saull said, as family members of Joseph and Wildman listened from the gallery. "And whatever version of facts the jury accepted, it amounts to an execution — plain and simple."
WATCH | Lawyers for man accused of killing neighbour argue Crown's case based on speculation:
Crown attorney Chris Vanderhooft said while Joseph's family chose not to read victim impact statements at Wildman's sentencing for what he called a "particularly gruesome and heinous" murder, they may later provide statements to the Parole Board of Canada.
Vanderhooft also commented on the fact that immediately after Joseph's death, Wildman was on the run and subject to a manhunt for days in 2021 before he was found at a home near Belleville, Ont., where he was convicted of firing at officers when they attempted to enter.
"If ever there was post-offence conduct that would suggest somebody's aware of the conduct and guilty of the charges, this is pretty convincing," Vanderhooft said. "As if the murder weren't bad enough, he could have killed the police officers too, as a result of this."
Court heard Wildman has since been sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted murder in that incident, and that the Ontario sentence won't affect when he's eligible for parole on the Manitoba conviction — which will be 25 years from his June 2021 arrest.
Defence calls sentence 'devastating'
Wildman's lawyer Martin Glazer, who previously said he plans to file an appeal in the Manitoba case, called the life sentence "devastating" for his client, who Glazer said has autism spectrum disorder and a full-scale IQ of 72.
"His cognitive ability is at the threshold of impairment," Glazer said, adding a psychological assessment found Wildman meets the definition of a vulnerable person who would be eligible for support services in Manitoba.
During closing arguments in Wildman's murder trial, Glazer argued his client was wrongfully accused as part of an "absurd" theory prosecutors came up with based on a police investigation Glazer said was defined by tunnel vision.
Glazer told jurors there was no evidence Wildman ever even met Joseph. He said the Crown's theory — that Wildman "suddenly becomes a cold-blooded murderer" who killed Joseph when the victim tried to steal what Glazer called "maybe a $50" trailer winch from his property — doesn't make any sense.
But prosecutors said the timing in the case was of paramount importance — from how Wildman changed the hood on his damaged vehicle shortly after prosecutors say Joseph was hit by a vehicle then killed, to how Wildman left the province when police told him they were going to arrest him for murder.
That trial was the second Wildman faced in Joseph's death, after a mistrial was declared in the first one in June 2023, when Glazer experienced a medical issue and Wildman exercised his right not to continue in the trial without his lawyer.
Glazer said Monday Wildman was also bullied in school, and his psychological report noted he "would easily have been a target by others, given a history of social skill limitations, learning difficulties and significant articulatory problems."
"Eric has suffered a great deal while in custody while waiting for this trial, while waiting for the outcome of this trial. And he will not have an easy time in prison, given his intellectual disabilities and limited … coping ability," Glazer said.
"Hopefully he will be provided with appropriate supports while he serves his sentence."
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