Edmonton landlord Abdullah Shah allegedly directed man charged in Alberta Avenue arsons

Madeline Smith · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

A antheral accused successful a bid of arsons that plagued north-central Edmonton neighbourhoods successful 2020 and 2021 was allegedly moving arsenic "muscle" for notorious inner-city landlord Abdullah Shah, a tribunal heard this month.

The constabulary mentation of the lawsuit is elaborate successful Court of King's Bench Justice Nathan Whitling's determination connected grounds successful the proceedings of Darcy Willier, who faces respective counts of arson arsenic good arsenic firearms charges.

The drawstring of blazes, concentrated successful Alberta Avenue and surrounding communities, started successful precocious 2020, putting residents connected borderline for much than a year.

When Willier was arrested successful June 2022, EPS acting Staff Sgt. David Graham said the fires had traumatized communities.

Shah — besides known arsenic Carmen Pervez — had been killed successful a shooting extracurricular his south-side location a fewer months earlier the charges were laid. He owned galore Edmonton properties, and besides had a transgression grounds dating backmost to 1983, with convictions for cause trafficking and a $30-million owe fraud scheme.

Graham called Willier the "key suspect" successful a lengthy probe that linked dozens of suspicious fires. He besides said astatine the clip that constabulary believed Shah and Willier were connected.

"We mightiness beryllium capable to get 1 idiosyncratic for doing 1 arson. However, our extremity was to chopped disconnected the caput and marque definite we're targeting the close people. It takes a agelong clip to travel that grounds through," helium said.

Shah directed others to acceptable fires: EPS theory

Details from the constabulary probe of the arson lawsuit were revealed successful tribunal arsenic Willier's defence lawyers applied to person immoderate of the grounds tossed from the judge-alone trial. 

According to Whitling's decision, by April 2022, constabulary believed that the fires were related to a real-estate transaction and consequent "litigious dispute" betwixt Shah and different Edmonton spot developer, Gina Cai.

The constabulary mentation was that Shah and an alleged subordinate were "intentionally directing others to acceptable fires to their ain properties for specified purposes arsenic security fraud," Whitling's determination says. 

EPS besides alleged Shah was directing radical to acceptable fires to immoderate of Cai's properties successful an effort to thrust down their worth and extort wealth from her.

Investigators believed that Willier "acted arsenic 'muscle' for Shah, and that helium had acceptable oregon caused others to acceptable fires," the justice wrote.

Police besides elaborate accusation from a confidential informant stating that Shah and Willier were progressive successful burning down houses, and that Shah "openly brags astir his security scams."

In July 2021, investigators arrested Kasey Hetherington, who admitted to burning down a location astatine 119th Avenue and 91st Street that Cai owned. Hetherington was besides caught connected surveillance video filling a reddish jerry tin astatine a state station.

In a post-arrest interview, helium said Shah had told him helium had to commencement the occurrence oregon 1 of his household members would beryllium hurt, and Willier had given him the jerry tin and confronted him "for not doing the occupation good enough" afterwards. Court heard Hetherington returned to the location to effort again to commencement the fire.

He served a play of location apprehension aft pleading blameworthy successful the case.

Judge grants application to exclude immoderate evidence

Hetherington besides said helium saw Willier with pain marks "all implicit his body," Whitling's determination says. That prompted constabulary to look into whether Willier had sought aesculapian attention, confirming with information and wellness disclosure officials astatine the University of Alberta Hospital that Willier had been determination and gotten attraction for burns.

Whitling granted an exertion to acceptable speech immoderate accusation from a accumulation bid for Willier's aesculapian records, agreeing with the defence that Willier's Charter rights were violated.

The justice said Willier had a tenable anticipation of privateness successful seeking aesculapian care, and constabulary obtained accusation astir his attraction without a warrant, making it an unreasonable hunt and seizure.

But Whitling ruled that there's capable grounds to enactment a warrant constabulary sought to way Willier and intercept his communications, dismissing a bid to exclude it.

The proceedings is expected to proceed into aboriginal June.