Harlin Martineau should learn his fate next March. The Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Barry Goodswimmer in September 2022 and a sentencing date of March 20, 2023 was confirmed at an arraignment in Grande Prairie Provincial Court Monday.
51-year-old Goodswimmer was reported missing on June 17, 2019 and his remains weren’t found until June 30th that year in a marshy area near the First Nation. A few days after his disappearance, then-39-year-old Martineau and 22-year-old Allan Hamelin were both charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and assault with a weapon.
In October, Hamelin also pleaded guilty to manslaughter as well as indecently interfering with human remains and received a sentence of 14 years in federal prison. In that case, the court heard the three men were at a party on the night of June 15, 2019.
According to the agreed statement of facts, Hamelin attacked Goodswimmer unprovoked, and Martineau ended up restraining him, preventing him from defending himself. The two accused then dragged him onto an ATV, drove him down a trail, then dumped him. Autopsy results show he was not yet dead but was killed when Hamelin later returned to beat him further.
Hamelin chose to waive his right to a Gladue report but one has been ordered for Martineau. Gladue refers to a court case that set out principles for recognizing the unique circumstances of Indigenous peoples.