Mayerthorpe case adjourned until August

Family and friends of two men charged in connection with the 2005 killings of four RCMP officers packed a courtroom in Mayerthorpe, Alta., Thursday in an emotional show of support, but learned little about the allegations against the pair.

Some 70 people filled the town's provincial court. Some were supporters of the accused who had lined up 2½ hours before the scheduled hearing to secure a seat.

But at the brief hearing, a judge approved the request by their lawyers to adjourn the case to Aug. 9. Neither of the accused appeared in court Thursday.

Dennis Cheeseman, 23, and Shawn Hennessey, 28, each face four counts of first-degree murder in shooting deaths of constables Brock Myrol, Peter Schiemann, Anthony Gordon and Leo Johnston on March 3, 2005.

The officers were shot by a single gunman, James Roszko, on his farm near Mayerthorpe, in the RCMP's biggest single-day loss in more than 100 years.

Cheeseman and Hennessey, who were arrested on the weekend, are accused of aiding and abetting Roszko, even though police said neither suspect pulled the trigger or attended the scene of the crime.

So far, the RCMP has been tight-lipped about the case and hasn't given details on the allegations.

People gathered at the courthouse had hoped the first hearing might shed some light on the case.

Roszko ambushed the constables while they were at a stakeout on the property, then turned his gun on himself.