Man convicted in Mayerthorpe RCMP deaths cancels parole hearing

Dennis Cheeseman, one of two men convicted in the 2005 deaths of four Alberta RCMP officers on a farm near Mayerthorpe, Alta., has decided not to apply for early parole.

Cheeseman was scheduled for a parole review next month, but a letter from the parole board indicates he asked for the hearing to be cancelled.

Cheeseman and his brother-in-law Shawn Hennessey gave James Roszko a gun and a ride back to his farm prior to the shooting deaths of the officers.

Both men pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the deaths of constables Peter Schiemann, Anthony Gordon, Brock Myrol and Leo Johnston.

Cheeseman is serving a sentence of seven years andtwo months after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

He will be eligible for statutory release in November after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

Shawn Hennessey is serving a longer sentence. His parole request was turned down last year.