Man found guilty in arson series ordered by Edmonton landlord

Madeline Smith · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

A antheral accused successful a bid of north-central Edmonton arsons is blameworthy of starting fires that damaged oregon destroyed respective homes successful 2020 and 2021, a justice ruled Thursday.

Darcy Willier was recovered blameworthy of six of the 10 arson charges helium faced, including 1 that was downgraded to a lesser charge.

He's besides blameworthy of six weapons charges related to a sawed-off firearm and ammunition helium was caught with erstwhile helium was arrested successful 2022.

In his decision, Court of King's Bench Justice Nathan Whitling determined Willier's motive was his enactment for notorious Edmonton landlord Abdullah Shah, besides known arsenic Carmen Pervez.

Willier burned down immoderate of the properties himself, or sent associates to acceptable fires, arsenic portion of a strategy overseen by Shah.

Shah was changeable and killed extracurricular his southbound Edmonton location successful March 2022. A fishy has yet to beryllium identified successful his death.

Willier was arrested and charged successful the arson lawsuit astir 3 months aft the shooting.

Whitling recovered that statements Willier made to undercover constabulary officers nether an probe dubbed "Project Ignis" show Shah was successful a quality with different section spot owner, Gina Cai.

The tribunal heard grounds astir statements Willier made during the seven-month undercover operation. In a recorded conversation, 1 of the undercover officers asks Willier whether helium acceptable a peculiar fire.

"No, I did it. Turn and pain baby, crook and burn," Willier responded.

Burning homes Cai owned, the justice found, was an effort by Shah intended to intimidate her and drive down property prices.

Willier described the strategy to the undercover officers and pointed retired properties helium claimed to person burned portion they drove him astir northbound Edmonton neighbourhoods. Willier besides expressed willingness to proceed starting fires arsenic a means to nett connected spot flips.

"Cai was a motivated seller due to the fact that her properties kept burning down," Whitling said.

"The accused could past halt burning them down … allowing them to beryllium sold astatine a higher price."

Homes up successful flames

Two of the arsons successful which Willier was recovered blameworthy targeted homes owned by Cai.

One of those fires, which destroyed a location nether operation astatine 115th Avenue and 82nd Street, besides dispersed to the neighbouring homes connected either side. Three radical were successful 1 of the houses and had to flee, and some adjacent properties were damaged to the constituent that they had to beryllium demolished.

A separate fire caused an detonation astatine a three-storey flat owned by an alleged subordinate of Shah, wherever 7 radical were surviving astatine the time, but each managed to flight safely.

Willier told the undercover officers helium "blew this 1 consecutive up gone." He said a person of his was liable for carrying retired the arson, but Willier besides wanted to stroke up "rats" that helium claimed lived there.

Another arson astatine a antithetic location was owed to "hood politicking," Willier told undercover officers, saying Shah had an contented with the antheral who owned it.

Willier was recovered not blameworthy successful 4 arsons wherever the justice said determination was inadequate grounds to beryllium Willier was down the blazes, oregon his statements astir his engagement were excessively vague to meaningfully implicate him.

'Project Ignis' evidence

Defence lawyers Yodit Kidane and Sam Alzaman challenged the grounds collected by undercover officers, which progressive a "Mr. Big" strategy wherever officers enlistee a fishy into a fictitious transgression organization.

In this case, the serviceman who had the astir interaction with Willier presented himself arsenic a transgression making wealth done prostitution and altering conveyance recognition numbers connected stolen cars.

He told Willier helium wanted to "build his network" successful Edmonton and could prosecute him to bash jobs for him.

Whitling ruled that the grounds the constabulary collected was admissible. He said successful a determination past period that some of the emblematic concerns with a Mr. Big operation, specified arsenic constabulary preying connected a target's vulnerabilities oregon inducing them into giving an unreliable confession, are absent successful this case. 

"The undercover officers' contacts with the accused were comparatively few. Although a affable narration had been formed, determination was nary narration of integration oregon dependence," Whitling said.

"The accused was thoroughfare astute and not vulnerable. No threats were made and nary unit occurred."

Willier volition beryllium sentenced astatine a aboriginal date.