An accused killer began to faint in B.C. Supreme Court on Nov. 29 as pictures of a gangland shooting in which he was wounded were presented to a jury.
The jury saw photos of gory injuries: a blood-soaked Porsche Cayenne registered to Hells Angel Larry Amero and the bullet-strewn Kelowna scene of gangster Jonathan Bacon’s 2011 slaying. The pictures were part of evidence against three men accused in subsequent killings.
When the court saw photos of blood pooled on the vehicle’s driver’s seat, Amero reportedly began to have problems breathing.
Amero, Dean Michael Wiwchar and Rabih “Robby” Alkhalil face first-degree murder charges in connection with the January 2012 Vancouver death of Sandip Duhre, who was gunned down at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre.
The shooting occurred in a busy restaurant occupied by patrons, including the Cuban women’s national soccer team.
“We believe this was a well-planned public execution involving a coordinated and deliberate effort to carry out the murder. We also believe it was a contract killing related to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict,” RCMP Supt. Mike Porteous said in May 2013.
Bacon with his brothers were alleged kingpins in the Red Scorpion gang, while the three accused are reportedly members of the so-called Wolf Pack gang.
The court has already heard the killing was allegedly revenge for the Bacon killing outside Kelowna’s Delta Grand Hotel in August 2011.
Amero was seriously injured while two women with the group were injured.
One of the women was shot in the neck, leaving her paralyzed.
Independent Soldier James Riach escaped the shooting, unharmed; in 2018, he was sentenced to life in prison in the Philippines for drug trafficking.
RCMP Const. Jennifer Hunter was one of the first officers at the scene.
She said the driver had a large, gaping wound in his left wrist. Hunter also testified about the woman sitting behind the driver. She said the woman was slumped over.
“I thought she was dead," Hunter testified.
Next came pictures of the driver’s seat. Amero nearly fainted. The case was stopped as sheriffs gave him water. He was taken out of the courtroom while the co-accused remained.
Bacon convictions
When the Bacon killing went to court, Jason McBride pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted murder and was given a life sentence with no chance of parole for 18 years, while Jujhar Khun-Khun and Michael Jones pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, and were sentenced to 18 years imprisonment.
That case heard the shooting was in retaliation for the October 2010 murder of Gurmit Dhak, the leader of the Dhak Group gang.
RCMP Cpl. Martin Vardy was an evidence officer in the Kelowna case and appeared in court on Nov. 29
He testified Monday that the scene and the Porsche Cayenne registered to Amero in which he, Bacon and the women were riding in, were riddled with bullets and shell casings.
He told Justice Miriam Maisonville two rifles and a nine-millimetre Glock handgun were found not far from the scene shortly after the shooting.
Arrests and extradition
In January 2018, Vancouver police announced the arrest of Amero, and charges of one count of conspiracy to commit the murder of Duhre and one count of conspiracy to commit the murder of Sukhveer Dhak.
Amero was a resident of Ottawa. He was arrested with help from the Ottawa Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Biker Enforcement Unit. He was transported to B.C. to face charges.
Wiwchar was charged with one count of murder in relation to the murder of Duhre and one count of conspiracy to commit the murder of Dhak.
Alkhalil was charged with the murder of Duhre. He was extradited from Greece to face charges.
The accused looked on as prosecutors took evidence about the Bacon death scene from Vardy, who appeared via video link from Halifax.
The Bacon brothers gained public attention in the wake of the Surrey Six slayings.
Jamie Bacon was sentenced in 2020 to 18 years in prison on a charge of guilty to conspiracy to commit the 2007 murder of a gangland foe and his associates. A first-degree murder charge was dropped in a plea deal.
Two innocent people died in the executions.
With files from Castanet
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