The Jonathan Bacon murder trial has officially begun, six years after the Red Scorpions gangster was gunned down outside the Delta Grand hotel in Kelowna.
Jujhar Khun-Khun, Michael Jones, and Jason McBride entered not-guilty pleas to all 7 charges they face, which include first-degree murder and attempted murder.
Bacon was shot to death while he was sitting inside an SUV outside the Kelowna hotel in August 2011. Hells Angels Larry Amero, Independent Soldiers James Riach and two women were with him at the time. Everyone except Riach were injured in the shooting, including one woman who was left paralyzed.
Khun-Khun, Jones, and McBride have been in custody since their arerst in 2013.
During their opening statement, Crown prosecutor David Ruse said the shooting had been ordered by gangster Sukh Dhak as revenge for the murder of his brother.
Ruse said their evidence will include witnesses that allegedly helped track down Bacon, Amero and Riach, and discarded clothes found in Lake Country that match the DNA profile of Khun-Khun, Jones, and McBride, including a sweater with a blood stain matching Amero’s DNA. A Ford Explorer, believed to be the suspect car, found burning in Lake Country, is also a key piece of evidence.
Constable Jennifer Hunter was the first witness called by the Crown. She was the first officer to arrive on scene after the shooting and described a chaotic setting.
“People everywhere, people running, people screaming,” she told the court.
While the trial is now underway, the judge is still considering an application from the three men to have charges dropped because it's taken too long to go to trial. Justice Allan Betton said he's expecting to make a decision by next Monday.
If the application is denied, the trial is expected to last several months.