WINNIPEG — A jury found a Manitoba man guilty on Thursday of first-degree murder in the death of a neighbour he suspected was stealing from his rural property.
Eric Wildman had pleaded not guilty in the shooting of 40-year-old Clifford Joseph, whose remains were found northeast of Winnipeg in 2021.
Joseph was reported missing by his girlfriend, who told police he had planned to steal from Wildman's property in the village of Stead, Man.
Wildman didn't react as the verdict was delivered in a Winnipeg courtroom. Some of Joseph's relatives sitting in the public gallery could be heard crying.
"Mr. Wildman, you have been convicted of first-degree murder. As a result, you are to be sentenced to life imprisonment," Manitoba Court of King's Bench Justice Richard Saull told Wildman.
The conviction carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years. A sentencing hearing, with a chance for family to read victim impact statements, is to be held at a later date.
The trial heard two different theories.
Wildman's lawyer told the jury his client isn't a cold-blooded killer and called the RCMP's investigation "botched and sloppy."
Crown prosecutors argued Wildman ran down and executed Joseph after suspecting the neighbour of stealing from him.
Joseph's body, partly scavenged by animals, was found in a different area from Wildman's home. An autopsy determined he died from gunshot wounds and also had a broken leg and jaw.
The trial heard Joseph's girlfriend reported him missing to police several hours after he left her home. She told police Joseph had said he was going to Wildman's property with a plan to steal.
The woman later went to Wildman's acreage and found Joseph's runners, black snapback hat and headlamp, court heard. She also discovered his truck parked near a different home, with his keys and phone inside.
Joseph had a history of using drugs and stealing, prosecutors said.
A search of his phone found no contact between the neighbours before Joseph vanished, and there were no messages on Joseph's phone indicating a plan to steal from Wildman.
Wildman's lawyer told jurors the accused was known as a friendly, good-mannered man who looked after his father — not one who organized a sophisticated execution.
Martin Glazer argued investigators relied on information provided to them by Joseph's girlfriend, which clouded their judgment.
Glazer told the jury the case was based on circumstantial evidence. No one saw Joseph get shot. No one confessed to killing the man. No DNA from Joseph was found on or in Wildman's vehicle. And there was no surveillance video showing Joseph on Wildman's property that morning.
The Crown's case included evidence that Wildman replaced the damaged hood on his car shortly after Joseph was reported missing. Wildman was also in possession of ammunition similar to bullets found in Joseph's body. Wildman also evaded police when he learned he was a suspect and drove to Ontario.
The jury didn't hear that a manhunt for Wildman ended with him shooting at police in a home just outside Belleville, Ont.
He was found guilty last year of attempted murder for firing shots at officers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2025.
Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
