(Dreamstime)

By Sheldon Spackman

April 2020 Incident

Trial dates set for three of four charged in Innisfail murder

Feb 18, 2025 | 3:33 PM

Trial dates have been set for three of four people charged in relation to the 2020 homicide of 38-year-old Blackfalds resident, Ryan James Gudwer.

Thomas Jeffrey Houle, 28, Amber Loretta Knickle, 25, and Mathieu Bilodeau, 46, are scheduled for trial in Red Deer Court of Justice from July 6-10, 2026. The fourth individual charged, Cory William Hales, 45, is scheduled for a court appearance in Red Deer on Feb. 27, 2025.

According to RCMP, the case was a four-year investigation where Mounties say officers took a plethora of investigative steps, including forensics, surveillance, obtaining judicial authorizations and speaking to witnesses.

On April 10, 2024, after consultation with Alberta Crown Prosecutors, RCMP received support to charge four individuals with second-degree-murder. As all four suspects had moved significant distances since the murder, the Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit began project K-Nova designed to locate and safely arrest each suspect. Supporting Units Codiac RCMP (New Brunswick), Abbotsford Police Department (B.C), and the RCMP Red Deer GIS/Intel Team were asked to assist.

On April 16, 2024, RCMP arrested Red Deer resident Cory William Hales, in Red Deer. Mounties say Hales has been taken before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody.

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On April 18, 2024, RCMP arrested Thomas Jeffrey Houle, in Calgary. Police say Houle was taken before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody.

On April 19, 2024, RCMP with the assistance of Abbotsford Police Service arrested Abbotsford resident Amber Loretta Knickle, in Maple Ridge, B.C.. Mounties say Knickle was remanded into custody and transported back to Alberta where she was awaiting her next court date.

On April 20, 2024, RCMP arrested Moncton resident Mathieu Bilodeau, in Moncton. Police say Bilodeau was remanded into custody and transported back to Alberta where he was awaiting his next court date.

“Since this crime our suspects relocated to different locations which presented unique challenges to our investigators,” said Cpl. John Brown of the Alberta Major Crimes Unit, “With close coordination with our policing partners we were able to effectively locate and arrest each suspect.”

BACKGROUND (May 1, 2020)

On April 29, 2020, at 1:30 a.m., Innisfail RCMP responded to a 911 call to assist EMS with a male in medical distress at the Bluebird Motel.

Mounties say the 38-year-old male was declared deceased on scene and the circumstances of his death were deemed suspicious.

Related: Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit charge four after 2020 Innisfail homicide