Missing $700K at heart of case against B.C. lawyer accused of 1st-degree murder

The B.C. lawyer who has been charged with the first-degree execution of his lawsuit owed him implicit $700,000, according to Crown prosecutors.

Rogelio "Butch" Bagabuyo is charged with first-degree execution successful the March 2022 decease of Mohd Abdullah, a Thompson Rivers University machine subject professor, successful the south-central Interior metropolis of Kamloops.

Bagabuyo's trial, which is being heard earlier a justice only, began connected Monday. On Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Ann Katrine Saettler told Justice Kathleen Ker that Abdullah had given Bagabuyo the hefty sum successful 2016 erstwhile his matrimony was coming to a close.

According to the Crown's mentation of events, the machine subject prof had expected to get the wealth backmost aft his divorcement was finalized — and successful March 2022, helium was inactive waiting for Bagabuyo to instrumentality it. The wealth is inactive missing, according to the Crown.

The past time Abdullah was seen live was March 11, 2022, erstwhile helium was filmed walking to Bagabuyo's bureau successful downtown Kamloops.

His remains were recovered days aboriginal successful a integrative bin successful the backmost of a rental van. An autopsy confirmed respective stab wounds to Abdullah's precocious near thorax and back.

The Crown says it plans to beryllium that Bagabuyo killed Abdullah successful his office, placed the assemblage successful a integrative tote bag, and subsequently moved it to the van.

Witness takes stand

Justin Robertson was the archetypal witnesser to instrumentality the basal connected Tuesday, having called 911 to study that the rental van extracurricular his grandparents' location successful Kamloops' Dufferin neighbourhood contained quality remains.

Robertson testified helium and his grandma became suspicious aft his gramps told them Bagabuyo asked for his assistance burying a box. 

The Kamloops antheral told the tribunal that helium enactment connected immoderate plot gloves, entered the rental van and opened the integrative tote containing the victim's remains. 

Robertson called 911 aft seeing a quality ft successful the bin.

On Monday, the archetypal portion of grounds submitted to tribunal was the rental documents for a Budget van successful which the victim's remains were found.

Other grounds items included a ample achromatic retention tote bag, ropes, disposable lighters, cables and achromatic garbage bags with holes chopped retired of them, arsenic good arsenic a knife, a 12-inch blade, and a shovel.

Bagabuyo was initially charged with interfering with quality remains 3 days aft Abdullah's assemblage was recovered connected March 17, 2022.

More than a twelvemonth later, helium was charged with murder. He has been escaped connected bail since July 2023.

Abdullah, who was 60 years old, worked astatine Thompson Rivers University for 21 years and played an important relation successful the Faculty of Science and Open Learning, according to a connection from the assemblage successful 2022.

Shortly aft his death, Abdullah's son-in-law told CBC News that Bagabuyo had been Abdullah's "trusted friend." Abdullah's daughter, Sarah Jeet Lalata-Buco, said her begetter was a quiet and benignant man.

Bagabuyo's proceedings volition proceed connected Wednesday.