Andrew Bender had a total of 59 known criminal convictions by the date of his death.
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The rural home on a property near Neudorf, where tragedy unfolded in late March, was a home that Andrew Bender was welcomed back to multiple times.
Despite his troubles, his parents wanted him to get well.
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“They did not and do not want to see their son in jail,” Yorkton provincial court Judge Donna Taylor said on Feb. 24, 2023. “They want him to get help with his mental health concerns and deal with his drug addiction.”
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On that date, Andrew was being sentenced after pleading guilty to a total of 11 offences, which included an assault on his father Gary. He had not previously been sentenced for a violent offence, according to the judge.
Now Andrew, along with his parents and his brother, are all dead following what the Saskatchewan RCMP described as a murder-suicide. Police found their bodies on March 24 while conducting a wellness check at the Bender family’s property near the village, roughly 135 kilometres northeast of Regina.
Court recordings obtained by the Leader-Post reveal that Andrew’s struggles with mental health were long-standing.
Before his sentencing in 2023, his lawyer submitted a letter from his mother Joanne explaining that Andrew had, at that point, been on medication for anxiety and depression for nearly a decade. The letter noted Andrew’s prescriptions had run out, and he’d put off seeing a doctor to get them renewed, something Joanne believed had resulted in him committing the offences for which he was being sentenced.
There was a belief that Andrew had become paranoid about a variety of issues as a result of being off his medication, Taylor relayed in her decision.
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And while Andrew’s parents had made calls for assistance, they never intended for him to be charged.
The Crown submitted that Andrew’s mental health issues stemmed from his drug use, and the defence took the position that his drug use was a result of his mental health issues. The judge said regardless of causation, the issues were related.
The audio recordings of court proceedings also reveal that Andrew’s criminal history was more substantial than what was outlined in previous reporting by the Leader-Post.
In total, Andrew had 59 known convictions for criminal offences by the date of his death.
Prior to his 2023 sentencing, those convictions included 28 for possession of property obtained by crime, seven for theft, one for a break and enter, two for flight from police, one for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, one for mischief, one for unauthorized possession of a firearm in a vehicle, one for possessing a firearm or ammunition contrary to a court order, three for failing to comply with a recognizance and one for failing to comply with a court order.
At that time, the total was 46.
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All of those were entered on two dates, one in 2017 and one in 2019, which means he was in his late 20s before his first recorded conviction.
On Feb. 24, 2023, he added one for assault, one for obstructing police, two for mischief and seven for failing to comply with a release order, bringing the total to 57.
Before the judge gave her decision on that date, the Crown prosecutor assigned to the case had argued Andrew should be prohibited from living at his parents’ home on the farm property.
The judge decided she was not prepared to make such an order, noting Gary and Joanne wanted Andrew to come home. As of that date, he only had nine days left to serve in jail, having already been on remand for 114 days.
However, Taylor did offer comment with respect to the struggles Andrew’s parents hoped he could overcome.
“Mr. Bender does not appear to have the insight and motivation to seek help for his mental health and drug issues without being ordered to do so,” she said.
As a result, his sentence came with nine months of probation and a lengthy list of conditions including that he must participate in assessment and complete programming for addictions. He was also obligated to see a medical doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist as directed. In addition, he was to follow directions as to prescriptions, information about which was to be released to a probation officer.
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“You need to follow those conditions, because that’s what’s going to keep you out of trouble,” the judge told him.
His response was brief.
“Yep. For sure.”
As previously reported, his final known convictions came on Feb. 16, 2024, roughly five weeks before the killings.
Andrew was appearing by video from Regina where he was in custody. Before the proceeding began, Taylor made sure he understood his parents were present in the Yorkton courtroom.
He was given a time-served sentence for resisting arrest and escaping from police on Oct. 4, 2023. During the same proceeding, he was found not guilty of six additional offences, following a trial. Those involved allegations of assault against his mother, father and sister.
There were numerous issues at trial, including Andrew not being told at the outset that the Crown was seeking to amend the date of the charge of assault against Joanne, resulting in a finding of not guilty on that count.
In respect to the other charges, Taylor outlined issues with testimony, including witnesses apparently struggling with recollection. In the end, the judge decided there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prove the balance of the charges.
Given that Andrew was going to be released, the judge inquired about whether someone would be able to go pick him up from Regina, and a woman’s voice responded yes.
“All right,” Taylor said. “Your parents are going to make arrangements for you, Mr. Bender.”
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