Joanne and Gary Bender died in a murder-suicide on March 23. A funeral is being held for them and their two sons in Neudorf, Sask., on April 5. (Joanne Bender/Facebook)
Andrew Bender had a criminal record.
According to court documents, he was convicted of assaulting his father Gary Bender on Sept. 25, 2022, and sentenced to jail time. That same month, Andrew was charged with possession of various weapons, including a revolver handgun and a machete.
On Nov. 22, 2022, Andrew violated the conditions of his release by contacting Gary and returning to his Neudorf property, according to court documents. Andrew was also charged with mischief, which involved damaging a kitchen chair that belonged to Gary and Joanne Bender. Andrew returned to the property the very next day and had contact with Gary, this time committing mischief by damaging his parents’ garage door and a bedroom door, documents say.
On Dec. 3, 2022, Andrew was charged once again with violating the conditions of his release and contacting Gary. He was also charged with evading the police in an arrest attempt.
Then in September 2023, Andrew was accused of damaging property and assaulting three family members. He was found not guilty on all charges in this incident, court documents say.