The brother of slain Burnaby mother Kimberly Hallgarth said Monday that he hoped charges laid against her former boyfriend in the 2009 cold case might finally bring the family closure.

“We recognize that nothing can bring Kim back. However, we need and deserve closure and are glad to see this next step today,” ‎Jamie Errand said in a statement released by police at a Surrey news conference Monday.

At the same time, her accused killer, Joshua Joseph Boden, 32, appeared briefly in Vancouver provincial court and was remanded in custody until Dec. 10.

His lawyer Kevin Westell said outside the courthouse that Boden maintains his innocence in the murder, as he has done over the past nine years.

“These allegations have been out in the local media for the entirety of that time. Mr. Boden has been unwavering in his denial of his guilt in this matter,” Westell said.

Westell said he and fellow defence lawyer David Ferguson are still waiting for disclosure in the case.

“We will have a chance to review the disclosure and we will take it from there,” Westell said.

He wouldn’t say if Boden, a former professional football player, would make a bail application in B.C. Supreme Court.

Two friends of Hallgarth’s had been in courtroom 101 for the proceedings earlier in the morning, but left before Boden finally arrived close to 11 a.m. Both declined to comment.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said at the news conference the “new evidence … significantly advanced the investigation.”

Insp. Dave Chauhan, the acting head of IHIT, thanked Hallgarth’s family for its patience over the years.

“I realize the past nine years have been very difficult on Kim’s family and my deepest condolences go out to them,” he said. “I hope the news of someone being held accountable for Kim’s death brings some semblance of peace.”

He said the charge stemmed from “excellent foundational work as laid by investigators nine years ago, which continued into the present day by detectives of our specialized IHIT cold case team.”

Hallgarth, 33, was found dead inside her home on Colborne Ave. about 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, 2009. She had dated Boden for about eight months.

Errand, who asked for privacy for his family, thanked investigators for their “hard work”.

“We have waited nearly 10 long years for this moment and are relieved that closure is in sight. Only we know the unimaginable grief that our family has been going through and the toll it has taken on every family member,” he said. “What we have been going through is something that no family should ever have to experience.”

Boden, who briefly played in the CFL for the B.C. Lions and the Hamilton Tiger-cats, has had repeated interactions with police over the past decade.

Just last month, he pleaded guilty in a Vancouver courtroom to providing a false or misleading statement to police in May 2017.

He appeared in New Westminster court on Oct. 22 and received a three-month conditional sentence for breaching a court order. He also served two months in pretrial custody. Another charge of attempting to obstruct justice was stayed.

In the year before Hallgarth’s death, Boden was acquitted of theft, mischief and assault charges stemming from an alleged domestic dispute with her after Hallgarth wavered at the last minute on the witness stand.

The domestic charges resulted in the B.C. Lions cutting the receiver from the team.

Boden was convicted in December 2011 of two counts of sexual assault, one of obstruction of justice, and one of assaulting a police officer. The following July, he was sentenced to a year in jail.

Police had been watching Boden as he groped a woman who was walking toward the Commercial-Broadway station in September 2011. Boden fought with police when he was arrested. It took three officers, a civilian and a police dog to subdue him.

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Former Canadian Football League wide receiver Josh Boden has been charged with second-degree murder.

Full family statement

First of all, we would like to thank all the members of IHIT’s Cold Case Team for all their hard work and relentless efforts on this investigation.

We have waited nearly 10 long years for this moment and are relieved that closure is in sight. Only we know the unimaginable grief that our family has been going through and the toll it has taken on every family member. What we have been going through is something that no family should ever have to experience.

Kim was a bubbly and caring person who deeply loved being the mother to Hailey and the void that her murder has left in our hearts can never be filled. She loved life and was always able to make everyone around her laugh. For those of you who knew Kim, you know that she had a heart of gold and genuinely cared about everybody she was close to. We will always remember her infectious laugh.

We recognize that nothing can bring Kim back. However, we need and deserve closure and are glad to see this next step today. We strongly urge the accused, his family, friends and acquaintances who were or are aware of any details related to this incident and withheld any information from the police to come forward now and do the right thing. We understand the accused and his family have also suffered from this senseless act of violence. We can only hope that the accused will cooperate and help everyone involved move forward.

We would also like to thank our extended family and friends for their endless love and support through this extremely difficult time.

At this time, we would like to ask the media to please respect the privacy of our family.

Full statement by IHIT Insp. Dave Chauhan

Good morning, I am Inspector Dave Chauhan, the Acting Officer-in-Charge of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

I am pleased to announce that after nine years since the tragic murder of 33-year-old Kimberly Hallgarth, IHIT has arrested an individual in connection with her death.

Today, I can announce that 32-year-old Joshua Boden has been arrested and charged with second degree murder.  He was arrested without incident on November 2, 2018 by IHIT and charged soon after by the B.C. Prosecution Service.

I realize the past nine years have been very difficult on Kim’s family and my deepest condolences go out to them.  I thank them for their patience and I hope the news of someone being held accountable for Kim’s death brings some semblance of peace.

For us to arrive at today’s outcome, it took a great deal of tenacity from all the investigators involved, both past and present.  Excellent foundational work was laid by investigators nine years ago, which continued into the present day by detectives of our specialized IHIT Cold Case Team.  IHIT’s Cold Case Team continually reviews and prioritizes IHIT’s unsolved cases for investigation that meet a number of key factors, including physical evidence obtained and new leads or information received.

The homicide investigation of Kim Hallgarth met many of these factors and the Cold Case Team has successfully met the high threshold to bring this file to a conclusion resulting in charges now being laid against Mr. Boden.  We never wavered in our investigative efforts.  I would like to thank all of our partners for their tremendous support and I am so proud of our team for never giving up on Kim’s case.

The trial for former Abbotsford resident Jamie Bacon has been delayed again.

A spokesperson for the B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed this week that the case has now been adjourned until Jan. 19, 2019.

“The trial was adjourned to allow counsel the opportunity to review further materials,” Alisia Adams, of the B.C. Prosecution Service, confirmed this week.

Asked if there could now be a stay application due to the length of time the case has taken to get to trial, Adams said:

“The B.C. Prosecution Service cannot comment further on this matter as it remains before the court.”

Jury selection for Bacon’s trial had been set to begin Nov. 5. But on Friday, issues arose that led to the two-month delay.

Some details of Bacon’s background are covered by a publication ban.

Bacon is charged with counselling to commit murder related to an attempt on the life of a former associate on Dec. 31, 2008.

His trial was originally set for April 2018, but was then adjourned to September 2018, then to Nov. 5 and now to early 2019 by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Wedge.

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Three young men who police allege are linked to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict have been arrested and charged.

Surrey RCMP said its investigation started last week after the agency’s gang enforcement team got a report related to threats and possession of a firearm.

“Investigators believe the alleged threats were related to the ongoing drug trade and gang conflict amongst parties known to one another,” Cpl. Elenore Sturko said in a news release Tuesday.

“The investigation included the execution of a search warrant on Nov. 2, 2018, at a residence in the Newton area of Surrey, where officers seized two starter pistols, a BB gun and an air-soft replica pistol.”

Officers also seized suspected cocaine, fentanyl and crack cocaine, as well as other items consistent with drug trafficking, she said.

Approximately $4,200 in cash believed to be proceeds of street-level drug sales was also located and seized.

Surrey resident Sagar Virk, 18, has been charged with two counts of uttering threats and three of breaching court-ordered conditions. Sandeep Mathroo, 21, is facing charges of uttering threats, assault with a weapon, using an imitation firearm, mischief and resisting or obstructing an officer. And Manjit Bahia, 22, has been charged with assault with a weapon, using an imitation firearm, uttering threats and mischief.

“Our top priority remains public safety,” Sturko said. “Our Surrey gang enforcement team and other specialized units continue to investigate individuals whose criminal activity puts public safety at risk, put pressure on gang members, and ensure they know they are not welcome in our city.”

The news release was issued the day after Surrey city council, under new Mayor Doug McCallum, voted to create a municipal police force to replace the RCMP.

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Related

• Abbotsford murder victim was brother of gang boss slain last December
• Gang murders linked to internal disputes, conflicts in prison
• Fatal flashpoint: Gurmit Dhak's 2010 murder ignited a gang war that's still raging

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Family and friends of Kimberly Hallgarth were relieved Monday to learn that her former boyfriend had finally been charged in her 2009 murder.

Here’s my story:

The brother of slain Burnaby mother Kimberly Hallgarth said Monday that he hoped charges laid against her former boyfriend in the 2009 cold case might finally bring the family closure.

“We recognize that nothing can bring Kim back. However, we need and deserve closure and are glad to see this next step today,” ‎Jamie Errand said in a statement released by police at a Surrey news conference Monday.

At the same time, her accused killer, Joshua Joseph Boden, 32, appeared briefly in Vancouver provincial court and was remanded in custody until Dec. 10.

His lawyer Kevin Westell said outside the courthouse that Boden maintains his innocence in the murder, as he has done over the past nine years.

“These allegations have been out in the local media for the entirety of that time. Mr. Boden has been unwavering in his denial of his guilt in this matter,” Westell said.

Westell said he and fellow defence lawyer David Ferguson are still waiting for disclosure in the case.

“We will have a chance to review the disclosure and we will take it from there,” Westell said.

He wouldn’t say if Boden, a former professional football player, would make a bail application in B.C. Supreme Court.

Two friends of Hallgarth’s had been in courtroom 101 for the proceedings earlier in the morning, but left before Boden finally arrived close to 11 a.m. Both declined to comment.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said at the news conference the “new evidence … significantly advanced the investigation.”

Insp. Dave Chauhan, the acting head of IHIT, thanked Hallgarth’s family for its patience over the years.

“I realize the past nine years have been very difficult on Kim’s family and my deepest condolences go out to them,” he said. “I hope the news of someone being held accountable for Kim’s death brings some semblance of peace.”

He said the charge stemmed from “excellent foundational work as laid by investigators nine years ago, which continued into the present day by detectives of our specialized IHIT cold case team.”

Hallgarth, 33, was found dead inside her home on Colborne Ave. about 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, 2009. She had dated Boden for about eight months.

Errand, who asked for privacy for his family, thanked investigators for their “hard work”.

“We have waited nearly 10 long years for this moment and are relieved that closure is in sight. Only we know the unimaginable grief that our family has been going through and the toll it has taken on every family member,” he said. “What we have been going through is something that no family should ever have to experience.”

Boden, who briefly played in the CFL for the B.C. Lions and the Hamilton Tiger-cats, has had repeated interactions with police over the past decade.

Just last month, he pleaded guilty in a Vancouver courtroom to providing a false or misleading statement to police in May 2017.

He appeared in New Westminster court on Oct. 22 and received a three-month conditional sentence for breaching a court order. He also served two months in pretrial custody. Another charge of attempting to obstruct justice was stayed.

In the year before Hallgarth’s death, Boden was acquitted of theft, mischief and assault charges stemming from an alleged domestic dispute with her after Hallgarth wavered at the last minute on the witness stand.

The domestic charges resulted in the B.C. Lions cutting the receiver from the team.

Boden was convicted in December 2011 of two counts of sexual assault, one of obstruction of justice, and one of assaulting a police officer. The following July, he was sentenced to a year in jail.

Police had been watching Boden as he groped a woman who was walking toward the Commercial-Broadway station in September 2011. Boden fought with police when he was arrested. It took three officers, a civilian and a police dog to subdue him.

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

---

Full family statement

First of all, we would like to thank all the members of IHIT’s Cold Case Team for all their hard work and relentless efforts on this investigation.

We have waited nearly 10 long years for this moment and are relieved that closure is in sight. Only we know the unimaginable grief that our family has been going through and the toll it has taken on every family member. What we have been going through is something that no family should ever have to experience.

Kim was a bubbly and caring person who deeply loved being the mother to Hailey and the void that her murder has left in our hearts can never be filled. She loved life and was always able to make everyone around her laugh. For those of you who knew Kim, you know that she had a heart of gold and genuinely cared about everybody she was close to. We will always remember her infectious laugh.

We recognize that nothing can bring Kim back. However, we need and deserve closure and are glad to see this next step today. We strongly urge the accused, his family, friends and acquaintances who were or are aware of any details related to this incident and withheld any information from the police to come forward now and do the right thing. We understand the accused and his family have also suffered from this senseless act of violence. We can only hope that the accused will cooperate and help everyone involved move forward.

We would also like to thank our extended family and friends for their endless love and support through this extremely difficult time.

At this time, we would like to ask the media to please respect the privacy of our family.

---

Full statement by IHIT Insp. Dave Chauhan

Good morning, I am Inspector Dave Chauhan, the Acting Officer-in-Charge of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

I am pleased to announce that after nine years since the tragic murder of 33-year-old Kimberly Hallgarth, IHIT has arrested an individual in connection with her death.

Today, I can announce that 32-year-old Joshua Boden has been arrested and charged with second degree murder.  He was arrested without incident on November 2, 2018 by IHIT and charged soon after by the B.C. Prosecution Service.

I realize the past nine years have been very difficult on Kim’s family and my deepest condolences go out to them.  I thank them for their patience and I hope the news of someone being held accountable for Kim’s death brings some semblance of peace.

For us to arrive at today’s outcome, it took a great deal of tenacity from all the investigators involved, both past and present.  Excellent foundational work was laid by investigators nine years ago, which continued into the present day by detectives of our specialized IHIT Cold Case Team.  IHIT’s Cold Case Team continually reviews and prioritizes IHIT’s unsolved cases for investigation that meet a number of key factors, including physical evidence obtained and new leads or information received.

Here’s my update and please take note that information about his background is banned until his jury trial:

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth called the death of inmate Alex Joseph in the back of a B.C. Corrections van last month “very disturbing” and said he hopes three separate investigations now underway will get to the bottom of what happened.

“Of course, it is very disturbing when a situation like this happens, because it shouldn’t happen,” Farnworth said of the death, detailed in a Postmedia report Saturday.

“That’s why these investigations are currently underway and we are going to find out what happened. People deserve answers and the family members deserve answers.”

Farnworth said B.C. Corrections is investigating Joseph’s death, which happened Oct. 4 on the side of the road north of 100 Mile House after his fellow inmates tried for more than an hour to get the guards’ attention.

The RCMP is also investigating the death, Farnworth said, as is the B.C. Coroners Service.

Three of the other inmates in the back of the van told Postmedia that they were shouting and banging on the walls after Joseph, 36, passed out and slumped onto the floor. But the correctional officers driving the van didn’t check on Joseph until it was too late, they said.

The inmates also said they believed Joseph overdosed. He was snoring at first after falling to the ground, but then went silent and began to turn blue.

They all said they were involuntarily transferred to the Lower Mainland, far away from family members, because of a staff shortage at the Prince George facility.

Two of them told Postmedia that police wearing tactical gear forcibly hauled them from their Prince George cells after they indicated they didn’t want to be transferred.

B.C. Corrections would not say why the inmates were transferred, but only that such moves happen “on an as-needed basis.”

Shelly Bazuik, a legal advocate with Prisoners’ Legal Services, said the involuntary transfers can take inmates away from support networks.

“These involuntary transfers have had all kinds of heart-wrenching and negative impacts on a prison population that is predominantly Indigenous,” Bazuik said, speaking generally.

Joseph was a member of the Beaver clan in the Nak’azdli Nation, near Fort St. James.

He had battled addiction for years and been in and out of jail. At the time of his death, he was in pretrial custody on a number of charges, including assault causing bodily harm and uttering threats.

The inmates interviewed said they travelled in tiny compartments within the B.C. Corrections van, wearing shackles and handcuffs and sitting on metal benches without seat belts.

The provincial department said in a statement that its “vehicles are not equipped with seat belts, as they can be used as a weapon against staff, other inmates or to harm themselves.”

Farnworth said what happened to Joseph “is a very tragic story.”

“I do know that the officers are all trained in naloxone,” he said.

Asked how they could use the life-saving kits if they didn’t stop to investigate why Joseph was in medical distress, Farnworth said: “That’s why I want to see those investigations and find out exactly what happened.”

He said the government will take necessary action once the results of the investigations are known.

“That’s what these investigations have to get to the bottom of. What happened and why did it happen? And from there, we can go, ‘OK, how can we make sure that this doesn’t happen again?'”

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Surrey RCMP announced some charged Tuesday in the Lower Mainland gang conflict. The accused are very young. Interesting that news of the charges come the day after Surrey’s new city council voted to replace the RCMP with a municipal force.

Here’s my story:

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Three young men who police allege are linked to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict have been arrested and charged.

Surrey RCMP said its investigation started last week after the agency’s gang enforcement team got a report related to threats and possession of a firearm.

“Investigators believe the alleged threats were related to the ongoing drug trade and gang conflict amongst parties known to one another,” Cpl. Elenore Sturko said in a news release Tuesday.

“The investigation included the execution of a search warrant on Nov. 2, 2018, at a residence in the Newton area of Surrey, where officers seized two starter pistols, a BB gun and an air-soft replica pistol.”

Officers also seized suspected cocaine, fentanyl and crack cocaine, as well as other items consistent with drug trafficking, she said.

Approximately $4,200 in cash believed to be proceeds of street-level drug sales was also located and seized.

Surrey resident Sagar Virk, 18, has been charged with two counts of uttering threats and three of breaching court-ordered conditions. Sandeep Mathroo, 21, is facing charges of uttering threats, assault with a weapon, using an imitation firearm, mischief and resisting or obstructing an officer. And Manjit Bahia, 22, has been charged with assault with a weapon, using an imitation firearm, uttering threats and mischief.

“Our top priority remains public safety,” Sturko said. “Our Surrey gang enforcement team and other specialized units continue to investigate individuals whose criminal activity puts public safety at risk, put pressure on gang members, and ensure they know they are not welcome in our city.”

The news release was issued the day after Surrey city council, under new Mayor Doug McCallum, voted to create a municipal police force to replace the RCMP.

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The minister of public safety says he hopes three investigations into the death of Alex Joseph will get to the bottom of what happened.

Here’s my update:

As homicide investigators are trying to find yet another killer in Surrey, newly elected Mayor Doug McCallum took the opportunity to blame the RCMP for the violence.

McCallum said in a news release that the Newton shooting “is yet another example of the ongoing trauma and fear that are being inflicted on the communities, residents and families of Surrey.”

“This latest incident of deadly gun violence further emphasizes the need for the City of Surrey to have its own city police force,” he said. “The people of Surrey have been abundantly clear that such a move is a top priority, which is why council and I have moved immediately to establish a Surrey Police Department and terminate the city’s contract with the RCMP.”

McCallum said the provincial government is resisting the move he wants to make.

“I want to urge the premier to remove any road blocks at the provincial level and help us make this critical transition proceed in the most timely and smooth manner possible for the people of Surrey.”

The 22-year old victim, who was not known to police, was shot to death in the 14200-block of 70A Avenue at 1:30 a.m. Friday.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is in charge of the case. The victim’s name has not yet been released.

The top cop in B.C. responded to McCallum’s news release.

Deputy Commissioner Brenda Butterworth-Carr said she lives in the region and is as alarmed about gang violence as other citizens are.

NOTE TO REAL SCOOP READERS: The comments are not working right now and have not been functional since 4 a.m. Thursday. I have reported this to Postmedia’s IT department. I am told they are working on a solution but I have not been given any estimate so to when it will be fixed. Sorry about that. In the meantime, anyone who wants to pass something along, can email me at: kbolan@postmedia.com or call me at: 604-219-5740

Two B.C. man — one convicted in a high-profile 1982 slaying and the other as Independent Soldier gangster — have been charged in a major Winnipeg police investigation into a drug trafficking organization.

Allan Ronald Rodney, 70, was convicted of manslaughter in the 1982 death of Sharon Bollivar, the wife of a supermarket manager kidnapped for ransom in Kitsilano and later shot to death. Mohammad Shakil Khan, 39, is an IS member who joined the Wolfpack gang alliance after it formed in 2010.

Both are behind bars in Manitoba after getting arrested there last month, along with Rodney’s Surrey housemate, Shontal Vaupotic, and several people from Alberta and Manitoba.

Winnipeg Police allege that Khan, a Vancouver resident, headed a criminal organization that was moving millions of dollars of drugs from B.C. to Manitoba and that Rodney was one of the gang’s drivers.

The B.C. government now wants to seize some of Khan’s and Rodney’s assets as proceeds of their criminal activities.

The director of civil forfeiture filed a suit in B.C. Supreme Court last week, seeking Rodney’s interest in his Surrey house, as well a semi trailer and several other high-end vehicles. The director also wants Khan’s 2007 Mercedes forfeited.

The suit alleges that neither man had “sufficient legitimate income to have acquired or maintained” the house or vehicles subject of the seizure application.

Insp. Max Waddell of the Winnipeg Police Service’s organized crime unit moves two large bags of methamphetamine, as drugs are laid out in front of the semi that was allegedly used to transport them from B.C.

The director lays out some details of the Winnipeg case.

“The investigation revealed that Mr. Khan was shipping kilograms of cocaine and ketamine from British Columbia for distribution in the Winnipeg area and Mr. Rodney and Ms. Vaupotic were transporting the shipments in a semi-truck,” the director’s statement of claim said.

Rodney and Vaupotic met with others now charged at least 18 times between February and October 2018 to exchange drugs for cash, according to the suit. The drugs were then transported to stash houses to be repackaged and distributed.

“During the investigation, members of the (Winnipeg Police Service) covertly entered the stash locations on various dates and located large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, marijuana, oxycodone, ketamine, heroin, cutting agents and cash,” the court documents said.

On Oct. 18, police watched as Khan, Rodney, Vaupotic and a Winnipeg man “conducted an exchange of money and controlled substances.”

“Shortly thereafter, Mr. Rodney was arrested at the Flying J truck stop in Headingly, Man. At the time of Mr. Rodney’s arrest, he was in possession of approximately $100,000 in Canadian currency and one kilogram of cocaine.” Khan was arrested at a Winnipeg A&W with about $1,000 cash.

Police conducted searches with warrants in B.C., Alberta and Manitoba. At a Winnipeg house owned by Khan, they found 6.5 kilos of cocaine, about $100,000 and a semi-automatic handgun and ammunition.

At Khan’s east Vancouver house, police found another $100,000, a money counter and score sheets, as well as “Independent Soldiers paraphernalia including patches, sweaters, jackets and a painting.”

At Rodney’s Surrey home in the 19300-block of 73A Avenue, police also found $100,000 cash, the director said.

Khan’s east Vancouver home.

Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said “Khan is well known to police for having a long standing affiliation and ties to the B.C. gang landscape.”

The Winnipeg arrests are “a testament to the commitment of our policing partners at a national level to hold individuals accountable for their role in gangs and gang violence and the fear they illicit on our communities,” she said.

The civil forfeiture suit notes the criminal history of both Rodney and Khan.

“Mr. Rodney has a criminal record dating back to 1964 that includes convictions for fraud, break and enter and theft, possession of stolen property, manslaughter and Excise Tax Act offences,” the director of civil forfeiture said.

“Mr. Khan has a criminal record that includes convictions for assault, firearms offences, possession of a controlled substance for the purposes of trafficking and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm. Mr. Khan has a lifetime ban to possess firearms.”

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Twenty years after the slaying of Surrey journalist Tara Singh Hayer, his family’s most vivid memory is of his blood covering their garage floor.

“I ended up having to go back to the garage to clean up this massive pool of blood which was left from where dad was shot,” his daughter-in-law Isabelle recalled this week.

Daughter Rupinder also said she couldn’t erase the devastating scene from her mind: “Even afterwards, that image of where the blood was, you still see that.”

More frustrating than their haunting memories is the fact that no one has been charged in the unprecedented execution of a Canadian journalist, despite a two-decade-long police investigation.

“It makes you frustrated. It makes you angry,” Hayer‘s son Dave, a former Liberal MLA, said this week as the family met with Postmedia News.

Alexandra Ellerbeck, of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, said it is extremely rare for a journalist to be murdered in Canada or the U.S.

But, she said, there is an expectation that the slayings that have occurred will be solved.

“We expect to see prosecutions and justice in cases of journalists murdered in Canada and the U.S. I think there is an expectation that those cases will be given high priority and they will be solved,” Ellerbeck said.

Solving the cases of murdered journalists “is such an important message for press freedom globally,” she said.

“Truth and justice are just so important for the families and the communities. It is really hard to overstate that. It is really frustrating, especially when there is a decent amount of evidence and information.”

It has been 20 years since Surrey journalist Tara Singh Hayer was killed. “It makes you frustrated. It makes you angry,” says Hayer‘s son Dave, a former Liberal MLA.

The 62-year-old founder of the Indo-Canadian Times was gunned down just before dinner on Nov. 18, 1998, as he arrived at his Guildford home from his newspaper office.

Already paralyzed from a 1988 assassination attempt, he was transferring himself from his car to his wheelchair when his killer or killers struck. He didn’t have a chance.

For years, Hayer had used his Punjabi newspaper to become a vocal critic of violent extremist groups such as those linked to the 1985 Air India bombing plot that left 331 dead.

He had even agreed to be a Crown witness in the terrorism case, telling police that years earlier, while visiting a British colleague, he had overheard a confession by Ajaib Singh Bagri, one of the men later charged and acquitted in the bombing.

Hayer was no stranger to threats. In January 1986, a bomb targeting him was left on the doorstep of his family’s print shop. His son-in-law saw the wires sticking out of a McDonald’s bag and called police. Then in August 1988, days after he had published details of the confession he says he overheard, Hayer was shot in his newspaper office by a youth who later pleaded guilty to attempted murder.

Months before his 1998 murder, Hayer wrote to the head of Surrey RCMP, expressing his concerns about the barrage of threats he was receiving.

“Given that these threats are escalating and becoming more severe in nature, I respectfully request your assistance in the investigation of these threats, which I hope will cease as a result,” Hayer said in his March 19, 1998, letter to then Chief Supt. Terry Smith.

“I respectfully request that you take immediate action with this regard. Time is of the essence. I am not capable of defending myself as easily as I used to when I could walk.”

Police responded five days later, scolding Hayer for not contacting them sooner.

“I am concerned that you have not brought these matters to our attention previously, given that there seems to be an ongoing series of these incidents,” Smith wrote. “We view these circumstances as most serious and if they are ignored or not reported, it makes our job exceedingly more difficult to complete.

“If you fear for your life, and you feel you are in immediate danger, you should be contacting our complaints line,” Smith said. Or Hayer could call 911 if the matter was “more urgent,” Smith suggested.

Already paralyzed from a 1988 assassination attempt, Tara Hayer was transferring himself from his car to his wheelchair when his killer or killers struck.

Warnings weren’t taken seriously, family says

The police did investigate, Dave Hayer said. They also installed security cameras at the family home — cameras that weren’t working the night of the fatal shooting.

“My dad, he didn’t want to feel like a prisoner with the police with him all the time,” he said. “But I don’t think the police did enough.”

He said police knew that the people after his dad were linked to terrorism. And there was additional evidence from the 1988 shooting that was not pursued after the youth who shot Hayer — Harkirat Singh Bagga — pleaded guilty.

For example, the .357 Magnum that Bagga used in the 1988 attack on Hayer had been provided by a California man who was also the owner of a gun found in the residence of Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only man convicted in the Air India bombing. So Bagga had links to the Air India suspects.

“There was a real threat there. And police did what they normally do — they said, ‘Tell us when somebody is there at your door ready to shoot you.’ Otherwise, they are not willing to provide enough protection.”

Hayer named several of the suspects behind the threats in his letter to police.

His son says there should have been no mystery as to the motive behind the murder.

“It is a case just like Air India, where they knew who the people were behind the scenes … and they also know the people behind the scenes who wanted my dad killed,” Dave Hayer said. “In a case like that, where you have a lot of background information about the people involved, still after 20 years charges haven’t been laid.”

The Hayer family, including (from left) Isabelle Hayer, Rupinder Hayer, Baldev Hayer and Dave Hayer, at a news conference on Nov. 19, 1998 at the Hayer family home in Surrey where newspaper publisher Tara Singh Hayer was killed.

Police have continually urged community members to come forward with information. But the fact that Hayer had agreed to be a witness in the biggest terrorism case in Canadian history and ended up dead doesn’t instil confidence in other potential witnesses, his son said.

“When you talk to any Canadian, it doesn’t matter what their background is — if the killers, the shooters or the criminals threatened your wife and your kids or your husband, would you still go and testify? They all say no. They are willing to risk themselves, but they are not willing to risk their family. Our justice system does not really protect the victims.”

John Major, the retired Supreme Court of Canada justice who headed the Air India inquiry, was extremely critical of police for how Hayer was treated.

“The manner in which the RCMP handled the entire Hayer affair leaves much to be desired,” he wrote in his 2010 report. “Tragically, the murder of Tara Singh Hayer, while he was supposedly under the watch of the RCMP, not only snuffed out the life of a courageous opponent of terrorism, but permanently foreclosed the possibility of his assistance in bringing the perpetrators of the bombing of Flight 182 to justice.”

Murder investigation overlapped with Air India probe

After Hayer was assassinated, the investigation into his 1988 attempted murder was reopened and new evidence gathered. So when Air India charges were laid against Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik in 2000, Bagri was also charged in the 1988 plot against Hayer.

But the charge was later stayed when the key witness sabotaged his evidence, claiming he had been threatened and no longer wanted to testify.

After Malik and Bagri were acquitted of all Air India charges in 2005, the RCMP ramped up its investigation into the Hayer murder, launching Project Expedio.

They already had a possible witness — a young gangster who earlier told police that his associate Robbie Soomel had admitted to being the “wheelman” the night Hayer was killed, while another gangster named Daljit Basran was the shooter.

The witness claimed Soomel told him the Babbar Khalsa — the terrorist group behind the Air India bombing — had paid the young hitmen $50,000.

Soomel was convicted in an unrelated gang murder in 2004 and remains in jail. Basran vanished in 2006 and is believed to be dead.

But Expedio investigators targeted Soomel’s older brother Raj in a “Mr. Big” operation, where undercover cops posed as organized criminals and befriended him. They tried to get him to provide information about the Hayer murder. He didn’t.

Raj Soomel did tell his new “friends” that he wanted to kill the witness who talked to police. He was charged and later pleaded guilty in 2008 to the attempted murder of the witness. Then Soomel was himself murdered in a case of mistaken identify while living in a Vancouver halfway house.

Project Expedio investigators not only searched for more evidence in Hayer’s 1998 murder, they took another look at the files in the 1988 attempted murder case and even the 1986 bomb plot.

And they conducted a second “Mr. Big” operation, targeting a suspect in the bomb plot named Jean Gaetan Gingras. Gingras admitted that he arranged for a device to be placed at Hayer’s Surrey office in January 1986 at the request of a Babbar Khalsa member in Montreal. But he told the undercover cop posing as a South American drug lord that the bomb was just to send Hayer a message. No one was supposed to get hurt, he said.

Project Expedio investigators carried out a “Mr. Big” operation, targeting a suspect in the bomb plot named Jean Gaetan Gingras, who admitted he arranged for a device to be placed at Tara Hayer’s Surrey office.

Gingras was charged and convicted of conspiring to purchase cocaine as part of the investigation, but was not charged in the bomb plot. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2012.

Killers looking over their shoulder, says retired Mountie

Retired RCMP deputy commissioner Gary Bass said this week that Expedio came close to laying charges in the Hayer murder.

“That was a major, major push and got very close to getting to the truth. But it didn’t get there,” said Bass, who retired in 2011.

The investigation into Hayer’s assassination has unique challenges, Bass said, just like the Air India terrorism case.

Bass said he has “absolutely” no doubt that Hayer’s murder was linked to both his journalism about the Air India suspects and the assistance he provided to police in the terrorism investigation.

The fact he was brutally murdered has created the catch-22 that has made his slaying tough to solve.

“The Hayer case is kind of proof about the dangers that are involved in getting involved in helping the police,” said Bass, who never met the journalist but has gotten to know his family well over the past two decades.

“Dave and his family have just been incredibly supportive over the years, which is really important to the investigative team to have that kind of support in the background.”

He said the public loses sight of “just how high-profile an individual Hayer was in terms of all the awards he received … and the fact that he is probably still the only journalist in Canada that has been killed for what he was doing. I think that kind of gets glossed over.”

Despite the challenges, Bass thinks Hayer’s killers will be brought to justice some day.

“There certainly have been lots of homicides much older than that which have been solved in recent years,” Bass said. “There are just so many people who had either involvement or knowledge, you always have the hope that someone is going to do the right thing for whatever reason, whether it’s conscience or being forced into it by circumstances.”

From all his years in policing, Bass is sure of one thing.

“A lot of people tend to think that when a case gets this old, the perpetrators are just kind of living the good life and thinking they got away with it. But I don’t think that is the case at all. In my experience, people who have committed murder are continually looking over their shoulder,” he said.

The RCMP did not respond to a Postmedia request for updated information about the Hayer murder investigation.

Tara Hayer’s family went back to the Indo-Canadian Times office after he was killed to remake the front page with news of his murder.

Paper’s survival keeps Hayer’s memorial alive

The Hayer family has kept the Indo-Canadian Times alive for the last 20 years as a tribute to their patriarch.

His daughter Daljit was the last to see him alive as he left the newspaper office in a Newton strip mall.

“Dad said, ‘I’m going now.’ I was the last one to put him in the wheelchair,” she recalled, her voice breaking.

Within an hour, she got the news of his shooting, as did Rupinder and their youngest sister Satpaul, who also works at the newspaper.

Tara Hayer’s daughter, Rupinder Hayer-Bains, says she is haunted by the memory of her father’s murder scene.

They called Dave and told him to go to the family house. They just said their dad was sick. When Dave got close to the house, there were police lights flashing, ambulances.

“Once I saw all that, I though, ‘Okay, somebody probably killed my dad.’ There were always so many threats. It wasn’t like this was a shock that this would happen,” he said.

Their mom, Baldev, told her children they must carry on with the newspaper. They went back to the Indo-Canadian Times office that night to remake the front page with news of his murder.

“I think the strength we got was from our mom,” Rupinder said. “I did not realize that our mom was that strong.”

And the next day, they all went around delivering the newspaper to their customers, as they have now done every week since.

Said Dave: “We have to continue what he started. That’s why after 20 years, our family is still running the paper.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

A B.C. man connected to the Wolf Pack gang alliance has been sentenced to two years in a U.S. prison after admitting to international money laundering.

Omid Mashinchi, a former Vancouver realtor who was leasing high-end condos to Lower Mainland gangsters, pleaded guilty in July to moving cash across the border for Canadian drug gangs.

On Wednesday, he was sentenced in a Boston courtroom to 24 months in jail and ordered to pay almost $30,000 US in fines and damages.

U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton also added a year of supervised release to Mashinchi’s term, which he could apply to serve in Canada.

Mashinchi was charged in a sealed indictment in January 2018 and arrested in April, when he flew to the U.S. to visit family. He has been in custody since then.

U.S. court documents said that Mashinchi transferred funds from a bank in Vancouver to a bank in Boston over several months in 2017, knowing that the money — almost $240,000 US — was derived from drug trafficking.

Postmedia revealed in June that Mashinchi was facing money laundering charges and had been linked to condo leasing to gangsters.

One of the those condos, a penthouse in North Vancouver, was leased to Brothers Keepers boss Gavinder Grewal, who was murdered in the suite at 1550 Fern St. last December.

No one has been arrested in Grewal’s murder, but in June, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team released images of suspects from surveillance videos near the apartment building.

Other condos and houses Mashinchi, 35, had leased out to unsavoury clients were targeted in drive-by shootings or were being used as stash houses for drug trafficking, police told Postmedia.

The sealed indictment originally filed against Mashinchi says that he knew the funds he was wiring “represented the proceeds of crime” and “that such transportation, transmission and transfer was designed in whole or in part to conceal and disguise the nature, the location, the source, the ownership and the control of the proceeds of specified unlawful activity.”

The underlying crime alleged is “the manufacture, importation, sale and distribution of a controlled substance.”

No gang affiliation is named in the U.S. documents, but police confirmed to Postmedia that he is aligned with the Wolf Pack, a coalition which includes some members of the Hells Angels, some Red Scorpions, and some in the Independent Soldiers gang.

It has been locked for years in a deadly gang conflict with rivals from the United Nations gang and the Dhak-Duhre group. Gangsters on both sides have been slain, while others have been charged with murder and conspiracy.

Mashinchi has not yet faced any drug trafficking or money laundering charges in B.C. He was named by Vancouver police in August as an unindicted co-conspirator in a major drug trafficking operation called Project Territory linked to the Brothers Keepers and Red Scorpions.

Several of his associates were charged.

In announcing the charges, VPD Staff Sgt. Lisa Byrne spoke about the underworld leasing service that Mashinchi had been operating.

“My team found this really disturbing because we had rival gang members housed within dozens of metres of each other and the potential for spontaneous violence and gunplay was obviously something that was super concerning to us.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

Omid Mashinchi, named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a major Vancouver Police trafficking investigation in August, has now been sentenced to two years in a U.S. jail.

Here’s my update:

A B.C. man connected to the Wolf Pack gang alliance has been sentenced to two years in a U.S. prison after admitting to international money laundering.

Omid Mashinchi, a former Vancouver realtor who was leasing high-end condos to Lower Mainland gangsters, pleaded guilty in July to moving cash across the border for Canadian drug gangs.

On Wednesday, he was sentenced in a Boston courtroom to 24 months in jail and ordered to pay almost $30,000 US in fines and damages.

U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton also added a year of supervised release to Mashinchi’s term, which he could apply to serve in Canada.

Mashinchi was charged in a sealed indictment in January 2018 and arrested in April, when he flew to the U.S. to visit family. He has been in custody since then.

U.S. court documents said that Mashinchi transferred funds from a bank in Vancouver to a bank in Boston over several months in 2017, knowing that the money — almost $240,000 US — was derived from drug trafficking.

Postmedia revealed in June that Mashinchi was facing money laundering charges and had been linked to condo leasing to gangsters.

Accused money launderer Omid Mashinchi and fugitive Mo Rahimi

One of the those condos, a penthouse in North Vancouver, was leased to Brothers Keepers boss Gavinder Grewal, who was murdered in the suite at 1550 Fern St. last December.

No one has been arrested in Grewal’s murder, but in June, the Integrated HomicideInvestigationTeam released images of suspects from surveillance videos near the apartment building.

Other condos and houses Mashinchi, 35, had leased out to unsavoury clients were targeted in drive-by shootings or were being used as stash houses for drug trafficking, police told Postmedia.

The sealed indictment originally filed against Mashinchi says that he knew the funds he was wiring “represented the proceeds of crime” and “that such transportation, transmission and transfer was designed in whole or in part to conceal and disguise the nature, the location, the source, the ownership and the control of the proceeds of specified unlawful activity.”

The underlying crimealleged is “the manufacture, importation, sale and distribution of a controlled substance.”

No gang affiliation is named in the U.S. documents, but police confirmed to Postmedia that he is aligned with the Wolf Pack, a coalition which includes some members of the Hells Angels, some Red Scorpions, and some in the Independent Soldiers gang.

It has been locked for years in a deadly gang conflict with rivals from the United Nations gang and the Dhak-Duhre group. Gangsters on both sides have been slain, while others have been charged with murder and conspiracy.

Mashinchi has not yet faced any drug trafficking or money laundering charges in B.C. He was named by Vancouver police in August as an unindicted co-conspirator in a major drug trafficking operation called Project Territory linked to the Brothers Keepers and Red Scorpions.

Several of his associates were charged.

In announcing the charges, VPD Staff Sgt. Lisa Byrne spoke about the underworld leasing service that Mashinchi had been operating.

“My team found this really disturbing because we had rival gang members housed within dozens of metres of each other and the potential for spontaneous violence and gunplay was obviously something that was super concerning to us.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

In the history of Canada, there has only been one journalist assassinated for his reporting and that is the late Surrey publisher Tara Singh Hayer.

Sunday marks the 20th anniversary of Hayer’s murder on Nov. 18, 1998.

I have written this feature, interviewing his family, a retired police officer and the New-York-based Committee to Protect Journalists about this case.

While police say that Hayer’s death was linked to his reporting on the suspects in the 1985 Air India bombing, investigators also believe that young gang-involved men were contracted to do the hit.

Here’s my story:

Twenty years after the slaying of Surrey journalist Tara Singh Hayer, his family’s most vivid memory is of his blood covering their garage floor.

“I ended up having to go back to the garage to clean up this massive pool of blood which was left from where dad was shot,” his daughter-in-law Isabelle recalled this week.

Daughter Rupinder also said she couldn’t erase the devastating scene from her mind: “Even afterwards, that image of where the blood was, you still see that.”

More frustrating than their haunting memories is the fact that no one has been charged in the unprecedented execution of a Canadian journalist, despite a two-decade-long police investigation.

“It makes you frustrated. It makes you angry,” Hayer‘s son Dave, a former Liberal MLA, said this week as the family met with Postmedia News.

Alexandra Ellerbeck, of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, said it is extremely rare for a journalist to be murdered in Canada or the U.S.

But, she said, there is an expectation that the slayings that have occurred will be solved.

“We expect to see prosecutions and justice in cases of journalists murdered in Canada and the U.S. I think there is an expectation that those cases will be given high priority and they will be solved,” Ellerbeck said.

Solving the cases of murdered journalists “is such an important message for press freedom globally,” she said.

“Truth and justice are just so important for the families and the communities. It is really hard to overstate that. It is really frustrating, especially when there is a decent amount of evidence and information.”

‘I am not capable of defending myself’

The 62-year-old founder of the Indo-Canadian Times was gunned down just before dinner on Nov. 18, 1998, as he arrived at his Guildford home from his newspaper office.

Already paralyzed from a 1988 assassination attempt, he was transferring himself from his car to his wheelchair when his killer or killers struck. He didn’t have a chance.

For years, Hayer had used his Punjabi newspaper to become a vocal critic of violent extremist groups such as those linked to the 1985 Air India bombing plot that left 331 dead.

He had even agreed to be a Crown witness in the terrorism case, telling police that years earlier, while visiting a British colleague, he had overheard a confession by Ajaib Singh Bagri, one of the men later charged and acquitted in the bombing.

Hayer was no stranger to threats. In January 1986, a bomb targeting him was left on the doorstep of his family’s print shop. His son-in-law saw the wires sticking out of a McDonald’s bag and called police. Then in August 1988, days after he had published details of the confession he says he overheard, Hayer was shot in his newspaper office by a youth who later pleaded guilty to attempted murder.

Months before his 1998 murder, Hayer wrote to the head of Surrey RCMP, expressing his concerns about the barrage of threats he was receiving.

“Given that these threats are escalating and becoming more severe in nature, I respectfully request your assistance in the investigation of these threats, which I hope will cease as a result,” Hayer said in his March 19, 1998, letter to then Chief Supt. Terry Smith.

“I respectfully request that you take immediate action with this regard. Time is of the essence. I am not capable of defending myself as easily as I used to when I could walk.”

Police responded five days later, scolding Hayer for not contacting them sooner.

“I am concerned that you have not brought these matters to our attention previously, given that there seems to be an ongoing series of these incidents,” Smith wrote. “We view these circumstances as most serious and if they are ignored or not reported, it makes our job exceedingly more difficult to complete.

“If you fear for your life, and you feel you are in immediate danger, you should be contacting our complaints line,” Smith said. Or Hayer could call 911 if the matter was “more urgent,” Smith suggested.

Warnings weren’t taken seriously, family says

The police did investigate, Dave Hayer said. They also installed security cameras at the family home — cameras that weren’t working the night of the fatal shooting.

“My dad, he didn’t want to feel like a prisoner with the police with him all the time,” he said. “But I don’t think the police did enough.”

He said police knew that the people after his dad were linked to terrorism. And there was additional evidence from the 1988 shooting that was not pursued after the youth who shot Hayer — Harkirat Singh Bagga — pleaded guilty.

For example, the .357 Magnum that Bagga used in the 1988 attack on Hayer had been provided by a California man who was also the owner of a gun found in the residence of Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only man convicted in the Air India bombing. So Bagga had links to the Air India suspects.

“There was a real threat there. And police did what they normally do — they said, ‘Tell us when somebody is there at your door ready to shoot you.’ Otherwise, they are not willing to provide enough protection.”

Hayer named several of the suspects behind the threats in his letter to police.

His son says there should have been no mystery as to the motive behind the murder.

“It is a case just like Air India, where they knew who the people were behind the scenes … and they also know the people behind the scenes who wanted my dad killed,” Dave Hayer said. “In a case like that, where you have a lot of background information about the people involved, still after 20 years charges haven’t been laid.”

Police have continually urged community members to come forward with information. But the fact that Hayer had agreed to be a witness in the biggest terrorism case in Canadian history and ended up dead doesn’t instil confidence in other potential witnesses, his son said.

“When you talk to any Canadian, it doesn’t matter what their background is — if the killers, the shooters or the criminals threatened your wife and your kids or your husband, would you still go and testify? They all say no. They are willing to risk themselves, but they are not willing to risk their family. Our justice system does not really protect the victims.”

John Major, the retired Supreme Court of Canada justice who headed the Air India inquiry, was extremely critical of police for how Hayer was treated.

“The manner in which the RCMP handled the entire Hayer affair leaves much to be desired,” he wrote in his 2010 report. “Tragically, the murder of Tara Singh Hayer, while he was supposedly under the watch of the RCMP, not only snuffed out the life of a courageous opponent of terrorism, but permanently foreclosed the possibility of his assistance in bringing the perpetrators of the bombing of Flight 182 to justice.”

Murder investigation overlapped with Air India probe

After Hayer was assassinated, the investigation into his 1988 attempted murder was reopened and new evidence gathered. So when Air India charges were laid against Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik in 2000, Bagri was also charged in the 1988 plot against Hayer.

But the charge was later stayed when the key witness sabotaged his evidence, claiming he had been threatened and no longer wanted to testify.

After Malik and Bagri were acquitted of all Air India charges in 2005, the RCMP ramped up its investigation into the Hayer murder, launching Project Expedio.

They already had a possible witness — a young gangster who earlier told police that his associate Robbie Soomel had admitted to being the “wheelman” the night Hayer was killed, while another gangster named Daljit Basran was the shooter.

The witness claimed Soomel told him the Babbar Khalsa — the terrorist group behind the Air India bombing — had paid the young hitmen $50,000.

Soomel was convicted in an unrelated gang murder in 2004 and remains in jail. Basran vanished in 2006 and is believed to be dead.

But Expedio investigators targeted Soomel’s older brother Raj in a “Mr. Big” operation, where undercover cops posed as organized criminals and befriended him. They tried to get him to provide information about the Hayer murder. He didn’t.

Raj Soomel did tell his new “friends” that he wanted to kill the witness who talked to police. He was charged and later pleaded guilty in 2008 to the attempted murder of the witness. Then Soomel was himself murdered in a case of mistaken identify while living in a Vancouver halfway house.

Project Expedio investigators not only searched for more evidence in Hayer’s 1998 murder, they took another look at the files in the 1988 attempted murder case and even the 1986 bomb plot.

And they conducted a second “Mr. Big” operation, targeting a suspect in the bomb plot named Jean Gaetan Gingras. Gingras admitted that he arranged for a device to be placed at Hayer’s Surrey office in January 1986 at the request of a Babbar Khalsa member in Montreal. But he told the undercover cop posing as a South American drug lord that the bomb was just to send Hayer a message. No one was supposed to get hurt, he said.

 

 

Gingras was charged and convicted of conspiring to purchase cocaine as part of the investigation, but was not charged in the bomb plot. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2012.

Killers looking over their shoulder, says retired Mountie

Retired RCMP deputy commissioner Gary Bass said this week that Expedio came close to laying charges in the Hayer murder.

“That was a major, major push and got very close to getting to the truth. But it didn’t get there,” said Bass, who retired in 2011.

The investigation into Hayer’s assassination has unique challenges, Bass said, just like the Air India terrorism case.

Bass said he has “absolutely” no doubt that Hayer’s murder was linked to both his journalism about the Air India suspects and the assistance he provided to police in the terrorism investigation.

The fact he was brutally murdered has created the catch-22 that has made his slaying tough to solve.

“The Hayer case is kind of proof about the dangers that are involved in getting involved in helping the police,” said Bass, who never met the journalist but has gotten to know his family well over the past two decades.

“Dave and his family have just been incredibly supportive over the years, which is really important to the investigative team to have that kind of support in the background.”

He said the public loses sight of “just how high-profile an individual Hayer was in terms of all the awards he received … and the fact that he is probably still the only journalist in Canada that has been killed for what he was doing. I think that kind of gets glossed over.”

Despite the challenges, Bass thinks Hayer’s killers will be brought to justice some day.

“There certainly have been lots of homicides much older than that which have been solved in recent years,” Bass said. “There are just so many people who had either involvement or knowledge, you always have the hope that someone is going to do the right thing for whatever reason, whether it’s conscience or being forced into it by circumstances.”

From all his years in policing, Bass is sure of one thing.

“A lot of people tend to think that when a case gets this old, the perpetrators are just kind of living the good life and thinking they got away with it. But I don’t think that is the case at all. In my experience, people who have committed murder are continually looking over their shoulder,” he said.

The RCMP did not respond to a Postmedia request for updated information about the Hayer murder investigation.

Paper’s survival keeps Hayer’s memorial alive

The Hayer family has kept the Indo-Canadian Times alive for the last 20 years as a tribute to their patriarch.

His daughter Daljit was the last to see him alive as he left the newspaper office in a Newton strip mall.

“Dad said, ‘I’m going now.’ I was the last one to put him in the wheelchair,” she recalled, her voice breaking.

Within an hour, she got the news of his shooting, as did Rupinder and their youngest sister Satpaul, who also works at the newspaper.

They called Dave and told him to go to the family house. They just said their dad was sick. When Dave got close to the house, there were police lights flashing, ambulances.

“Once I saw all that, I though, ‘Okay, somebody probably killed my dad.’ There were always so many threats. It wasn’t like this was a shock that this would happen,” he said.

Their mom, Baldev, told her children they must carry on with the newspaper. They went back to the Indo-Canadian Times office that night to remake the front page with news of his murder.

“I think the strength we got was from our mom,” Rupinder said. “I did not realize that our mom was that strong.”

And the next day, they all went around delivering the newspaper to their customers, as they have now done every week since.

Said Dave: “We have to continue what he started. That’s why after 20 years, our family is still running the paper.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

It looks like this blog is up and running after nine days, so I will post a few stories I have written in recent days.

The first is about the B.C. links to the Manitoba investigation into a trans-national drug ring.

Here’s that story:

Two B.C. man — one convicted in a high-profile 1982 slaying and the other an Independent Soldier gangster — have been charged in a major Winnipeg police investigation into a drug trafficking organization.

Allan Ronald Rodney, 70, was convicted of manslaughter in the 1982 death of Sharon Bollivar, the wife of a supermarket manager kidnapped for ransom in Kitsilano and later shot to death. Mohammad Shakil Khan, 39, is an IS member who joined the Wolfpack gang alliance after it formed in 2010.

Both are behind bars in Manitoba after getting arrested there last month, along with Rodney’s Surrey housemate, Shontal Vaupotic, and several people from Alberta and Manitoba.

Winnipeg Police allege that Khan, a Vancouver resident, headed a criminal organization that was moving millions of dollars of drugs from B.C. to Manitoba and that Rodney was one of the gang’s drivers.

The B.C. government now wants to seize some of Khan’s and Rodney’s assets as proceeds of their criminal activities.

The director of civil forfeiture filed a suit in B.C. Supreme Court last week, seeking Rodney’s interest in his Surrey house, as well a semi trailer and several other high-end vehicles. The director also wants Khan’s 2007 Mercedes forfeited.

IS clothing seized by police in 2015

The suit alleges that neither man had “sufficient legitimate income to have acquired or maintained” the house or vehicles subject of the seizure application.

The director lays out some details of the Winnipeg case.

“The investigation revealed that Mr. Khan was shipping kilograms of cocaine and ketamine from British Columbia for distribution in the Winnipeg area and Mr. Rodney and Ms. Vaupotic were transporting the shipments in a semi-truck,” the director’s statement of claim said.

Rodney and Vaupotic met with others now charged at least 18 times between February and October 2018 to exchange drugs for cash, according to the suit. The drugs were then transported to stash houses to be repackaged and distributed.

“During the investigation, members of the (Winnipeg Police Service) covertly entered the stash locations on various dates and located large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, marijuana, oxycodone, ketamine, heroin, cutting agents and cash,” the court documents said.

On Oct. 18, police watched as Khan, Rodney, Vaupotic and a Winnipeg man “conducted an exchange of money and controlled substances.”

“Shortly thereafter, Mr. Rodney was arrested at the Flying J truck stop in Headingly, Man. At the time of Mr. Rodney’s arrest, he was in possession of approximately $100,000 in Canadian currency and one kilogram of cocaine.” Khan was arrested at a Winnipeg A&W with about $1,000 cash.

Police conducted searches with warrants in B.C., Alberta and Manitoba. At a Winnipeg house owned by Khan, they found 6.5 kilos of cocaine, about $100,000 and a semi-automatic handgun and ammunition.

At Khan’s east Vancouver house, police found another $100,000, a money counter and score sheets, as well as “Independent Soldiers paraphernalia including patches, sweaters, jackets and a painting.”

At Rodney’s Surrey home in the 19300-block of 73A Avenue, police also found $100,000 cash, the director said.

Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said “Khan is well known to police for having a long standing affiliation and ties to the B.C. gang landscape.”

The Winnipeg arrests are “a testament to the commitment of our policing partners at a national level to hold individuals accountable for their role in gangs and gang violence and the fear they illicit on our communities,” she said.

The civil forfeiture suit notes the criminal history of both Rodney and Khan.

“Mr. Rodney has a criminal record dating back to 1964 that includes convictions for fraud, break and enter and theft, possession of stolen property, manslaughter and Excise Tax Act offences,” the director of civil forfeiture said.

“Mr. Khan has a criminal record that includes convictions for assault, firearms offences, possession of a controlled substance for the purposes of trafficking and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm. Mr. Khan has a lifetime ban to possess firearms.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/kbolan

twitter.com/kbolan

A Vancouver man is wanted in the U.S for allegedly selling methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and other drugs through the notorious dark-web exchange known as the Silk Road.

James Ellingson, 42, was arrested Oct. 29 in Vancouver on charges of conspiracy to violate U.S. narcotics laws, conspiracy to import narcotics and conspiracy to money-launder between 2011 and 2013. Evidence gathered against Ellingson stemmed from the U.S. investigation into Silk Road founder Ross William Ulbricht, according to a recent B.C. Supreme Court bail ruling in the case.

Justice Joyce DeWitt-Van Oosten released Ellingson on bail earlier this month despite a U.S. request that he be held in custody. Ellingson, who has a criminal record on this side of the border, allegedly made $2 million using the dark web to sell his wares.

Ulbricht was arrested in October 2013, convicted in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison. After his arrest, the FBI seized various servers associated with Silk Road in Iceland, as well as backup servers in the U.S. The servers contained databases with Silk Road records showing various transactions, as well as private messages exchanged between Silk Road users, according to a U.S. affidavit quoted by DeWitt-Van Oosten in her Nov. 2 ruling.

The U.S. alleges Ellingson was using the online handle “Marijuanaismymuse” and was paid for his drug sales by Ulbricht using Bitcoin. Transactions for the Marijuanaismymuse account occurred between November 2011 and October 2013 and involved sales of meth, heroin, cocaine, LSD, MDMA and pot.

“U.S. authorities have gathered evidence that they say links James Ellingson to Marijuanaismymuse,” the B.C. judge said. “Some of the drug proceeds sent to Marijuanaismymuse were subsequently traced to two Bitcoin exchange accounts registered to Mr. Ellingson.” One of the accounts was opened in August 2013 under Ellingson’s name, using his email and provided his driver’s licence number and a utility bill. The other account was opened in May 2013, also using his name, identification and a Vancouver address.

“U.S. authorities obtained records from Google relating to Mr. Ellingson’s Gmail account. These records contained an email dated Sept. 23, 2013, with a username of Marijuanaismymuse and what appears to be a password to the Marijuanaismymuse Silk Road account,” the ruling said. “The Gmail records also contained notations of drug weights, names and prices consistent with server data from the Silk Road.”

The U.S. alleges Ellingson communicated with Ulbricht and received his Bitcoin payments under the username Redandwhite. A laptop recovered from Ulbricht contained a file labelled “save red” that contained photos referenced in his communications with Redandwhite. The photos showed “packaged drugs and Canadian currency.” And some showed a man in front of a building that the U.S. alleged looks like the picture on Ellingson’s driver’s licence.

DeWitt-Van Oosten said the U.S. is still putting together its package of evidence to support its extradition request for Ellingson. She said she had “relatively limited information about the nature of the offences with which Mr. Ellingson is charged and/or the evidence gathered in support.”

DeWitt-Van Oosten noted that Ellingson had “a criminal record that includes three convictions for possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking, and one conviction for trafficking.” And he has been convicted of criminal harassment, possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon, assault and other crimes.

But she accepted his lawyer’s submission that the crimes were committed a long time ago, while he was suffering from addiction. She said Ellingson could be released on strict conditions because he had a supportive family willing to offer a $75,000 surety and a job.

“I appreciate that Mr. Ellingson has been charged with serious offences and, if extradited and convicted, he faces a lengthy period of imprisonment. I also appreciate that he has a criminal record for drug-trafficking,” DeWitt-Van Oosten said. “However, in consideration of the circumstances, as a whole, I am satisfied he has shown his detention in custody pending the extradition process is not justified.”

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A Vancouver man has just been charged with conspiracy to sell drugs on the dark web site called the Silk Road. Interestingly, James Ellingson, 42, communicated with Silk Road owner Ross Ulbricbht using the handle “redandwhite” which is usually a reference to the Hells Angels.

So far, Ellingson has not been linked to organized crime, according to a recent court ruling releasing him on bail pending an extradition hearing.

Here’s my story:

I’m out of town today but wanted to file a story after learning that Hells Angel Chad Wilson, 43, was the victim of Sunday’s murder.

Here’s my story: 

A full-patch Hells Angel with the Hardside Chapter was found murdered under the Golden Ears Bridge on Sunday.

Chad Wilson, a former Hells Angel in San Diego, then Haney, joined the biker gang’s newest chapter when it formed last year.

Several of his friends had reported him missing the night before his body was found in the 20000-block of Wharf Street, Postmedia has learned.

Firefighters were first called to the scene about 11:30 a.m. Sunday. They immediately called in the Mounties when they found Wilson’s body.

Friends of Wilson’s, wearing their death-head patched Hells Angels vests, soon showed up at the scene.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is working with Ridge Meadows RCMP on the case.

Wilson’s name had not been released by police, but fellow bikers and family were already paying tribute to the dead 43-year-old on Sunday night.

Wilson was a high-profile and popular member of the Hells Angels and his murder is expected to increase the volatility in the Lower Mainland gang landscape.

Police are saying only that Wilson’s death was targeted and that he was known to police.

In fact, he was known to police in several parts of the world.

In 2013, Wilson was charged in Spain with B.C. Hells Angel Jason Arkinstall and two associates after police there seized half a tonne of cocaine from a sailboat that had arrived from Colombia.

The Spanish government said one of the B.C. bikers was on the vessel, while the others were waiting in Spain. They were arrested in a restaurant in Pontevedra, a port in the northwest of Spain.

Officials said the drug conspiracy was linked to a member of the San Diego chapter of the Hells Angels — the same chapter that Wilson had joined as a prospect on Jan. 28, 2005.

Wilson became a full-patch Hells Angel a year later on Jan. 28, 2006. Within a few months, he was in a jail cell in South Dakota, charged along with fellow HA member John Midmore with attempted murder for an Aug. 8, 2006 gunfight with members of the rival Outlaws biker gang.

Several bikers and passersby were struck. One Outlaw was paralyzed by Wilson.

But both he and Midmore claimed self-defence and were later acquitted.

Wilson, however, pleaded guilty in April 2009 to being an alien in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to four years in jail.

In his letter to the judge, Wilson claimed that he would have been killed if he had not shot at the Outlaws when he did.

“To have to go through this nightmare I have been through for the past 983 days … to have people think I am somehow at fault for the extreme injuries that not just Mr. Neale, but others suffered as well — psychological and physical — that is just outright wrong to do to me,” Wilson complained. “Don’t think for one second that I don’t live with the nightmare in my head.”

He said he had replayed the events that led to the shootout “over and over again in my head.”

“I come up with the same answer every time. If I did not have a gun that day — Aug. 8, 2006 — and I did not shoot back, I would be DEAD!!” he said. “This situation was 100% out of my control. I have the right to defend myself. I want to go home. I have everything great waiting for me, my drilling job, my kids, my wife and my dog and the number one thing, my LIFE!!”

He said being in jail is “true hell that I’ve been through.”

Hells Angels post tribute to their slain brother Chad Wilson

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

A full-patch Hells Angel with the Hardside Chapter was found murdered under the Golden Ears Bridge on Sunday.

Chad Wilson, a former Hells Angel in San Diego, then Haney, joined the biker gang’s newest chapter when it formed last year.

Several of his friends had reported him missing the night before his body was found in the 20000-block of Wharf Street, Postmedia has learned.

Firefighters were first called to the scene about 11:30 a.m. Sunday. They immediately called in the Mounties when they found Wilson’s body.

Friends of Wilson’s, wearing their death-head patched Hells Angels vests, soon showed up at the scene.

The body of a Hells Angel member was found underneath the Golden Ears Bridge in Maple Ridge.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is working with Ridge Meadows RCMP on the case.

Wilson’s name had not been released by police, but fellow bikers and family were already paying tribute to the dead 43-year-old on Sunday night.

Wilson was a high-profile and popular member of the Hells Angels and his murder is expected to increase the volatility in the Lower Mainland gang landscape.

Police are saying only that Wilson’s death was targeted and that he was known to police.

In fact, he was known to police in several parts of the world.

In 2013, Wilson was charged in Spain with B.C. Hells Angel Jason Arkinstall and two associates after police there seized half a tonne of cocaine from a sailboat that had arrived from Colombia.

The Spanish government said one of the B.C. bikers was on the vessel, while the others were waiting in Spain. They were arrested in a restaurant in Pontevedra, a port in the northwest of Spain.

Officials said the drug conspiracy was linked to a member of the San Diego chapter of the Hells Angels — the same chapter that Wilson had joined as a prospect on Jan. 28, 2005.

Chad Wilson was being remembered by fellow bikers.

Wilson became a full-patch Hells Angel a year later on Jan. 28, 2006. Within a few months, he was in a jail cell in South Dakota, charged along with fellow HA member John Midmore with attempted murder for an Aug. 8, 2006 gunfight with members of the rival Outlaws biker gang.

Several bikers and passersby were struck. One Outlaw was paralyzed by Wilson.

But both he and Midmore claimed self-defence and were later acquitted.

Wilson, however, pleaded guilty in April 2009 to being an alien in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to four years in jail.

In his letter to the judge, Wilson claimed that he would have been killed if he had not shot at the Outlaws when he did.

“To have to go through this nightmare I have been through for the past 983 days … to have people think I am somehow at fault for the extreme injuries that not just Mr. Neale, but others suffered as well — psychological and physical — that is just outright wrong to do to me,” Wilson complained. “Don’t think for one second that I don’t live with the nightmare in my head.”

He said he had replayed the events that led to the shootout “over and over again in my head.”

“I come up with the same answer every time. If I did not have a gun that day — Aug. 8, 2006 — and I did not shoot back, I would be DEAD!!” he said. “This situation was 100% out of my control. I have the right to defend myself. I want to go home. I have everything great waiting for me, my drilling job, my kids, my wife and my dog and the number one thing, my LIFE!!”

He said being in jail is “true hell that I’ve been through.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

Related

• Body found under Golden Ears Bridge in Maple Ridge
• High-profile B.C. Hells Angels associate charged with murder
• Hells Angels party it up in Nanaimo while police keep eyes wide open

Law enforcement agencies across the region are bracing for any potential fallout after a prominent Hells Angel was found murdered in Maple Ridge on the weekend.

Cpl. Frank Jang of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said his agency is coordinating with other gang enforcement teams in the Lower Mainland after the slaying of Chad John Wilson, a full-patch member of the Hardside Hells Angels.

“IHIT will be engaging with our numerous partners from the gang enforcement units throughout the Lower Mainland region. They will be working to mitigate any ongoing violence,” Jang said at a Surrey news conference. “While the motive for Mr. Wilson’s murder has not been confirmed, this is yet another example, another reminder, of the significant dangers that are posed to one’s life by being part of a criminal organization.”

Police investigate after the body of a Hells Angel member was found underneath the Golden Ears Bridge in Maple Ridge, B.C.

Chief Superintendent Trent Rolfe, head of the anti-gang Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said even prominent members of outlaw motorcycle gangs like the Hells Angels “are not immune to gang violence or their connection to the gang landscape, both as perpetrators and victims.”

Two years ago, another high-profile Hells Angel, Bob Green, was shot to death by an associate in the 856 gang after an all-night drinking party at the 856’s clubhouse.

Within days, another young gangster who was at the party was found slain and mutilated at the side of a Langley road.

Green’s killer, Jason Wallace, who later pleaded guilty to manslaughter, said he was told in a threatening phone call to kill himself, or turn himself into the Hells Angels and they would do it.

Friends and associates of Hell Angels’ Bob Green arrive at Fraserview Hall for a memorial service in Vancouver, BC, October, 29, 2016.

Wilson, 43, began his biker career in San Diego, joining the Hells Angels Dago chapter there on Jan. 28, 2005 as a prospect and becoming a full-patch member a year later.

He pleaded guilty in North Dakota in 2009 to being an alien in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to four years in jail. The charge stemmed from a 2006 shootout with rivals from the Outlaws biker gang. Wilson wounded several Outlaws, paralyzing one of them, but was acquitted of an attempted murder charge after claiming self-defence.

“If I didn’t shoot back, they would have kept shooting me until I was dead,” he testified.

When Wilson returned to Canada, he joined the Haney Hells Angels. And last year, he transferred over to the newest chapter of the notorious biker gang, Hardside. He got married earlier this year, wearing his colours — or Hells Angels vest — to the ceremony.

Postmedia has learned that Hardside has an association with the Brothers Keepers, a younger drug-trafficking gang that has been locked in a bloody gang war with rivals who were once associates.

Police are trying to figure out the motive behind Wilson’s death, looking at whether he got caught in the violence of his junior associates or was targeted for some past crime, including the North Dakota shootout and a conviction in Spain for smuggling half a tonne of cocaine into the country.

“Right now, behind the scenes, there is a lot of activity going on,” Jang said.

The Brothers Keepers, with the late Gavin Grewal (second from the left). Grewal was found slain inside his rented North Vancouver penthouse apartment on Dec. 22.

Jang urged Wilson’s biker brethren who may have “intimate knowledge” of what happened to contact police and help in the investigation.

“We will go to wherever you are, we will sit down and speak with you, and we will treat you with the utmost respect,” he said. “We want to solve your friend’s — your associate’s — murder as much as you do. Please reach out to IHIT today.”

The reality is that the murders of Hells Angels have rarely led to charges in B.C. aside from the case of Green’s killer, who turned himself into police the day after the slaying.

Nanaimo Hells Angels prospect Michael Gregory Widner was found slain near Sooke in March 2017. He was made a full-patch member posthumously. No one has been charged.

Nor have charges been laid in the 2010 murder of former East End Hells Angel Juel Ross Stanton, the 2008 disappearance of Vancouver Angel Cedric Baxter Smith, the 2002 disappearance of Haney member Rick (Blackie) Burgess, the 2001 murder of Nomad Donny Roming, the 1997 slaying of former Haney member Ernie Ozolins, or the 1993 disappearance of Michael (Zeke) Mickle, then-president of the Nanaimo Hells Angels.

Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit Sgt. Brenda Winpenny said the agency has been working to educate the public about the risk that the Hells Angels and other outlaw motorcycle gangs “pose to the public, due to the level of violence they engage in to conduct their business.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan