(Dreamstime)

By Sheldon Spackman

April 2020 Incident

Red Deer man sentenced in Innisfail homicide

May 30, 2025 | 11:10 AM

It’s six years in jail for a Red Deer man charged in an Innisfail murder five years ago.

Cory William Hales, 45, was sentenced in Red Deer Court of Justice on May 28, 2025, after being convicted on one count of manslaughter. He was given 607 days of pre-trial credit, however, leaving him with roughly four years and four months left to serve.

Hales was also given a firearms prohibition and will serve his time at the Bowden Institution.

Three other co-accused, meantime, are scheduled for trial in Red Deer Court of Justice from July 6-10, 2026.

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.

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They include Thomas Jeffrey Houle, 28, of Calgary, Amber Loretta Knickle, 26, of Abbotsford, B.C., and Mathieu Bilodeau, 46, of Moncton, N.B.

The four are charged in relation to the 2020 homicide of 38-year-old Blackfalds resident, Ryan James Gudwer.

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 Cory William Hales, in Red Deer. Mounties say Hales has been taken before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody.

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 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 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, following the arrests. “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: Trial dates set for three of four charged in Innisfail murder

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