January 09, 2014 - 12:12 PM
EDMONTON - The Alberta Crown prosecutor who pushed for the toughest prison sentence in Canada since the country's last execution has become a judge.
Steven Bilodeau (BIHL'-uh-doh) has been appointed to the provincial criminal court in Edmonton.
The former chief Crown prosecutor headed the case against Travis Baumgartner, an armoured car guard who gunned down four crewmates on the job in 2012.
Three guards died and one survived.
Baumgartner, arrested at the U.S. border with a bag of stolen cash, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, attempted murder and two counts of second-degree murder.
A judge agreed with a plea bargain that gave the killer life with no chance of parole for 40 years.
The sentence was a first under a new federal law that allows consecutive parole ineligibility periods for multiple murders.
The provincial government announced the judicial appointment in a news release Thursday, detailing Bilodeau's experience as a lawyer for more than 20 years.
It said Bilodeau helped create Alberta's cybercrime prosecution unit, contributing to "significant developments in law and legislation that address Internet crimes and online child exploitation."
"Mr. Bilodeau has made great contributions to our province through his work in prosecutions and his efforts to educate his peers in the legal community," Justice Minister Jonathan Denis said in the release.
"I am confident he will continue to serve Albertans well as a provincial court judge."
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014