Man found guilty in home-invasion murders

A Saskatchewan man has been found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in connection with a shooting during a home invasion two years ago.

Daniel Richard Wolfe, 33, was also found guilty Wednesday of three counts of attempted murder in the September 2007 slayings at a house in Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask.

During the trial in Regina before Queen's Bench Justice Eugene Scheibel last month, court heard that Marvin Arnault, 51, and Michael Itittakoose, 24, were shot to death after two men, their faces covered in bandanas, kicked open the front door of a house and opened fire.

The background to the violence was a dispute at a local bar between members of two rival street gangs, court heard.

According to an undercover officer who testified at the trial, Wolfe admitted he was involved in the killings.

Wolfe denied that he admitted anything to the officer, who had posed as another prisoner.

Wolfe, a high-ranking member of the Indian Posse street gang who is originally from Winnipeg, had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

With a first-degree murder conviction, the sentence is life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 25 years.  Wolfe showed no emotion as Scheibel read his decision.

Among those in court was Joyce Itittakoose, the mother of Michael Itittakoose, who was shot five times in the back and once in the chest. She spoke to reporters later about Wolfe.

"People have choices in this world and it's up to them to make the choices they need to in order to live a healthy lifestyle," she said. "Should they choose not to, then let this be the consequences for our society."

Daniel Wolfe's mother, Susan Creeley, expressed a similar sentiment about her son.

"He's an example, a perfect example, of what is happening to people who join gangs," she said outside court.

Daniel Wolfe now needs to take responsibility for what he's done and pray for those he's hurt, Creeley said.

A second person, a teenager, is also charged in the case and will be tried in separate proceedings. He cannot be identified under provisions of Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act.