Nearly 60 pieces of evidence entered at trial of B.C. lawyer accused of murdering his client

Tessa Vikander · CBC

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 10:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

An Exacto knife, a 12-inch blade, and a shovel were among the astir 60 pieces of grounds submitted successful a Kamloops, B.C., courtroom connected Monday astatine the proceedings of a lawyer accused of sidesplitting his client.

Rogelio Bagabuyo is charged with first-degree execution successful the March 2022 decease of Mohd Abdullah, a Thompson Rivers University subject professor.

Bagabuyo, 57, who goes by the nickname Butch, wore glasses and sat down his lawyers successful a B.C. Supreme Court courtroom. He took notes arsenic Justice Kathleen Ker logged dozens of exhibits into grounds astatine the judge-alone trial.

An scale paper with handwritten notes was besides submitted arsenic grounds containing information astir a formation from Vancouver to New York City and the words "bag everything after," "don't bring telephone and e-watch," "turn APPS off," and "turn determination services off."

A stack of documents containing 28 pages of email exchanges betwixt the unfortunate and the accused, arsenic good arsenic the victim's volition and powerfulness of lawyer documents from 2016 — signed by some Abdullah and his then-lawyer Bagabuyo — were besides submitted.

At 1 point, the court had to instrumentality a interruption to find much wide bags to incorporate the evidence.

Abdullah,  a  60-year-old machine subject professor, was reported missing connected March 14, 2022, erstwhile helium did not amusement up for enactment astatine TRU.

Three days later, his assemblage was found, and Bagabuyo was charged with interfering with quality remains. 

Shortly aft Abdullah's 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.

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

Abdullah worked astatine the assemblage 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.

The Crown is acceptable to marque opening arguments connected Tuesday.