Second man sentenced in 2020 Innisfail homicide

According to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS), the Crown prosecutor assessed the available admissible evidence for Knickle and Bilodeau and determined there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction. As such, the charges were withdrawn.

Earlier, Cory William Hales, now 46, was previously sentenced in Red Deer Court of Justice on May 28, 2025, to six years in jail, 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 as of that date.

Hales was also given a firearms prohibition and was to serve his time at the Bowden Institution, south of Innisfail.

The four were 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 originally 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 Hales, in Red Deer. Two days later, Thomas Houle was arrested in Calgary.

On April 19, 2024, RCMP with the assistance of Abbotsford Police Service arrested Amber Knickle, in Maple Ridge, B.C.. On April 20, 2024, RCMP arrested Mathieu Bilodeau, in Moncton.

“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.

by Sheldon Spackman

Second man sentenced in 2020 Innisfail homicide

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