Canada - Tyler Pratt, 39, (From BC) fatally shot & 1 injured, Hamilton, Ont., 28 Feb 2021 *arrest*

[jash]

Oliver Karafa makes first court appearance in Hamilton

His hair grown out long to his chin, wearing a dark sweater and his hands clasped in front of him, Karafa listened quietly as the charges were read against him.
...
Karafa and his co-accused Yun (Lucy) Lu Li are married, it was revealed Thursday. It’s not clear when the pair wed.
...
In court Thursday, Karafa appeared by video from the Hamilton police central station holding. He will be transferred to jail pending a bail hearing and trial.
...
Karafa was ordered to have no contact with 32 people, including family of the victims and witnesses in the case.

Both Karafa and Li return to court April 5.​

 

[Researchnut]

"Karafa and his co-accused Yun (Lucy) Lu Li are married, it was revealed Thursday.
It’s not clear when the pair wed."
I'd love to know how they were able to do this when they were supposed to be listed on Interpol?
--------------------------
From the same article Jash posted
"Justice of the peace Barbara Waugh issued a sweeping publication ban and agreed to the Crown’s request that Karafa be detained until his next court appearance on April 5".
Why on earth would there be a publication ban. The victims were not minors. Who exactly is the judge protecting and why? All my opinion

 

[gdalton]

The publication ban is normal in Canada for the initial hearing, bail hearing, etc.
Think it's so they don't contaminate the jury pool (not a lawyer).
This was mentioned when the convoy truckers in Ottawa all had pub bans as well...

 

[jash]

www.chch.com/hamilton-homicide-suspect-lucy-li-charged-for-breaching-bail-conditions

Hamilton police have arrested a woman accused in the death of a Stoney Creek man after allegedly breaching the conditions of her release.
...
Officers say Lucy Li was arrested in Toronto on Monday and is now facing two counts of breaching a court order after she failed to comply with distinct conditions of her release.

 

[jash]

Lucy Li back behind bars after allegedly breaching bail

Police say accused in Stoney Creek homicide arrested Monday after leaving home for social engagement, making contact with prohibited person

www.thespec.com

...after a recent probe by homicide detectives, Li is accused of leaving her home for a social engagement and having contact with someone she was prohibited from contacting on May 22.

She will remain in custody pending a new bail hearing.

The arrest Monday comes more than a year after Li was granted bail on conditions that included 24-hour supervision and a $2.7-million bond posted by her sureties.

 

[musicaljoke]

Lucy Li back behind bars after allegedly breaching bail

Police say accused in Stoney Creek homicide arrested Monday after leaving home for social engagement, making contact with prohibited person

www.thespec.com

...after a recent probe by homicide detectives, Li is accused of leaving her home for a social engagement and having contact with someone she was prohibited from contacting on May 22.

She will remain in custody pending a new bail hearing.

The arrest Monday comes more than a year after Li was granted bail on conditions that included 24-hour supervision and a $2.7-million bond posted by her sureties.

So does the Justice Dept get to keep the money that was posted for her bail?

 

[jash]

So does the Justice Dept get to keep the money that was posted for her bail?

www.currielaw.ca/bail-hearing-surety.html

If the accused is found guilty of breaching the bail order, the Crown may ask the Court to make you pay the money you committed as a surety. An “estreatment” hearing will be scheduled. It will give you an opportunity to explain why you should not lose your money. The judge may order that you pay all, part, or none of the money you promised as a bond.

According to the link above, sureties typically don't have to deposit any money upfront. They just sign a promise to pay. What a joke.

 

[jash]

I missed this article back in June. According to it, LL was due back in court in July but I can't find any subsequent articles.

HUNTER: Alleged killer Millennial Bonnie Lucy Li on ice a little longer

Room 100 in Hamilton's John Sopinka Courthouse is as bland as a slice of gluten-free toast. And uh, skip the butter.

torontosun.com

On Tuesday, the influencer’s lawyer said he was waiting to obtain disclosure so she will have to cool her jets until July 11 when she returns to Room 100.

But this is all a sideshow. The real circus kicks off in March 2024, when Li and Karafa are slated to go on trial for the murder of Pratt and the attempted murder of his fiancee.

 

[musicaljoke]

The suspects give me Dellen Millard & Christina Noudga vibes.

More from the article Researchnut linked: Police believe these suspects wanted in Hamilton murder have fled the country

Police believe there was just one shooter and one gun involved. The murder weapon has not been found. Callender won’t say who is alleged to have pulled the trigger.​

​

“There was some sort of planning or deliberation,” he said. Both victims were targeted.​

​

Investigators have a good idea of why the four were meeting that day and what led to the shooting, but Callender said he won’t provide details on the motive because that is evidence in the court case.​

Have we ever heard a hint of what might be the motive for this murder?

 

[jash]

Have we ever heard a hint of what might be the motive for this murder?

I don't put a lot of stock in the Toronto Sun's reporting, especially with an unnamed source, but they seem to be suggesting the victim may have ripped off OK/LL.

HUNTER EXCLUSIVE: Possible motive in 'Millennial Bonnie and Clyde' case?

In a jail cell in Budapest, Oliver Karafa remains in limbo as his extradition case winds its way through the courts.

torontosun.com

 

[dotr]

One murder victim, another who was ‘supposed to die that day,’ and two alleged killers captured in Europe. The Oliver Karafa and Lucy Li murder trial begins in Hamilton

Crown alleges victims were lured to Stoney Creek property on pretense of a business meeting, but instead were shot

www.thestar.com

HUNTER: Millennial Bonnie and Clyde finally go on trial in 2021 murder

The two accused killers captured worldwide media attention.

torontosun.com

April 10 '24
''Jury selection concluded Tuesday along with the Crown’s opening statement. The trial is expected to last two months.
The daughter of a wealthy businesswoman with deep ties to the Liberal Party, Li and boyfriend Karafa are charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in the Feb. 28, 2021 Stoney Creek shooting of Tyler Pratt, 39. Pratt’s 26-year-old pregnant fiancee was also shot in the heart. She survived. Her unborn baby did not.
They have pleaded not guilty.''

 

[jash]

Wow, seems they had planned this in advance and really expected to get away with it.

www.thespec.com/news/crime/one-murder-victim-another-who-was-supposed-to-die-that-day-and-two-alleged-killers/article_60283b07-6480-5c67-9c98-17c5258cdf1f.html

- Days before the planned murder & attempted murder, O.K. made plans to sell two vehicles: one that he used that night (and which had the fatal victim's blood on it) and the other was the vehicle belonging to the second victim!

- They used a friend's SIM card in L.L.'s phone.

- L.L. wore a blonde wig, which was found in a dumpster in Port Carling along with ammunition and other evidence.

 

[musicaljoke]

Wow, seems they had planned this in advance and really expected to get away with it.

www.thespec.com/news/crime/one-murder-victim-another-who-was-supposed-to-die-that-day-and-two-alleged-killers/article_60283b07-6480-5c67-9c98-17c5258cdf1f.html

- Days before the planned murder & attempted murder, O.K. made plans to sell two vehicles: one that he used that night (and which had the fatal victim's blood on it) and the other was the vehicle belonging to the second victim!

- They used a friend's SIM card in L.L.'s phone.

- L.L. wore a blonde wig, which was found in a dumpster in Port Carling along with ammunition and other evidence.

Port Carling is about 2.5 hrs north of Hamilton, and 2 hrs beyond the Toronto International Airport. Did the pair drive to Port Carling to ditch the car and then somehow make it back to the airport in time to make a quick flight out of the country? If so, how did they get to the airport? Or, I suppose they could have driven to Port Carling to pick up a few things for their out going flight. In any case, the Port Carling connection is baffling.

ETA .. the day after the shooting they flew out of Montreal airport, not Toronto.

 

[dotr]

Cold, so chilling reminded of Dellen Millard, imo.

HUNTER: Murder victim's alleged last words: 'Oliver, what the f--k bro?'

HAMILTON — The gunman was shaking and bug-eyed as he pointed the pistol at a terrified Jordyn Romano, court heard.

torontosun.com

''One of the last things Romano says she remembers was hearing gunshots.

“BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!,” she recalled.

Pratt was at the rear driver’s side of the Range Rover, according to Romano.

“His last words were, ‘Oliver, what the f–k bro?'”

The trial continues Monday.''

 

[Researchnut]

Owned by someone else now, but was Karafa's PPE business, at the time of the murder.

Huegogo, S. R. O.. Supplier from Czech Republic

Huegogo, S. R. O.. Supplier from Czech Republic

www.go4worldbusiness.com

The business was mentioned in court by JR ,and reported in the Hamilton Spectator, on 12 Apr 2024.

"They were to meet the following Monday, March 1, and sign the documents at Li’s mother’s office, Romano said. That same day Karafa was supposed to pay $500,000 — the long-awaited return of Romano and Pratt’s investment in the European PPE business".

IMO this business made very little money.

Karafa, also had a business selling weighted blankets.

Elsie Savia · 8 charlotte street, toronto, ON M5V 0K4

Elsie Savia is a director of Canadian federal corporation registered by Corporations Canada. The director's corpration name is ZenHomeMart ZHM Inc..

opengovca.com

 

[jash]

www.thespec.com/news/crime/i-couldnt-move-survivor-recounts-harrowing-moments-before-deadly-shooting/article_c0c265a1-5d70-580d-8dcd-b7081b8815e7.html

[JR], who was in a coma following the incident, testified her memory of the shooting is limited to various “flashes.”

Among those were that, just before she was shot in the chest, [O.K.] allegedly grabbed her by the collar and said, “Get out of here, Jo,” [JR] testified.

[JR] said she put her Range Rover in reverse and “floored it,” exiting the warehouse lot and heading down Arvin Avenue for what she described as a few kilometres.

...recalled flashes of driving down Arvin and then crawling on the road on her hands and knees, asking for help from a driver that had pulled up next up to her.

“I remember being on the ground and a man and woman standing over me, and then I remember someone saying, ‘Hang in there, sweetie.’”

The jury heard evidence Wednesday from [AB], who testified coming across [JR] while driving to a gas station with her boyfriend. She phoned 911.

 

[jash]

I am finding it hard to follow this trial between the sensationalistic reporting (looking at you, Toronto Sun) and all the mud-slinging going on by the two defense teams (seemingly with opposing strategies).

From what I have gathered:

- TP was a cocaine trafficker out in BC and JR was an exotic dancer. As a result, they had a lot of money. Per JR, they moved to Ontario and were trying to get into more legitimate businesses.

- A friend of theirs introduced them to O.K., who they ended up becoming friends with and met up with him over 100 times (vs. only seeing L.L. about ten times, mostly in the 6 weeks leading up to the murder).

- They "invested" almost half a million with O.K. for a personal protective equipment venture in Europe. Their mutual friend who introduced them also invested. They were expecting to be repaid the following day.

- They also talked about starting a marijuana grow operation with O.K. (who claimed to hold licenses to grow and apparently did have a grow op). They were at the industrial complex that night to supposedly check it out as a potential location for the joint business (they were told L.L.'s mother owned the building it but it sounds like O.K./L.L. broke into the site as a lock was cut and bolt cutters were found in their getaway vehicle).

- In connection with the PPE business in Europe, they were told it would be easier to transfer money out of Europe through a life insurance policy through L.L.'s mother's business. Initially it was going to be a $2.8 million policy but ended up being $1.5m premium in JR's name (documents and a cheque for $1.5m were found in the getaway vehicle). They were supposed to finalize everything at L.L.'s mom's office the day following the shooting.

- O.K. got the gun he used that night from one of his best friends, the same friend whose mother sold O.K. the vehicle used to drive to Stoney Creek that night. That friend, who seems to still be protecting O.K., testified that the mutual friend who introduced the two couples and who also invested in the European PPE venture wanted his money back from O.K. and it caused drama. L.L.'s lawyer suggested that the cryptic messages between the best friends alluded to O.K. wanting to/being willing to kill that friend to avoid having to repay.

- The jury will be back in court on Tuesday.

www.thespec.com/news/crime/shooting-victim-who-lost-pregnancy-grilled-by-defence-in-hamilton-murder-trial/article_eb466375-b0ac-5371-9c10-b2c12a670553.html

www.thespec.com/news/crime/victim-says-she-spoke-often-with-lucy-li-before-shooting-but-messages-are-gone/article_efbcf8dc-3db5-513b-a27e-442d7485bc08.html

www.thespec.com/news/crime/murder-trial-shown-stoney-creek-crime-scene/article_728e5929-d354-5bf6-94aa-2712691acd5a.html

www.thespec.com/news/crime/lucy-lis-lawyer-accuses-witness-of-supplying-oliver-karafa-with-gun/article_9ff7e5e1-4c04-50a6-8b86-35d75bc1ba73.html

 

[jash]

Here's another weekly roundup:

The friend with whom they switched SIM cards was initially arrested by police because "his phone" pinged from Toronto to the murder scene but he ended up being let go when he explained what happened. O.K. really fancied himself a mastermind, I bet:

Karafa said he and Li had a business meeting with someone from Asia and that they needed to be “super confidential.” [The friend] said Karafa asked him to change out the SIM card on his phone with one of Karafa and Li’s phones so they couldn’t be tracked to the meeting; he also wanted [the friend] to answer messages to Karafa and Li’s cell accounts while they were gone.

O.K. had also prearranged to sell the Land Rover (which the surviving victim had just purchased) and the Audi SUV he got from his gun-supplying friend's mother to a guy from Montreal. They agreed on $4k for both vehicles b/c they were "hot" and would need to be exported or sold for parts. O.K. later messaged the buyer to say the cars got damaged so would need to be parted out and agreed to sell them both for just $2k. Buyer was supposed to get them the day after the shooting but he never heard from O.K. again and when he saw the news, he contacted police.

www.thespec.com/news/crime/murder-trial-hears-from-accuseds-friend-about-phone-switch-before-shooting/article_699ac163-c167-5c1c-9f56-90fa42d4101f.html

A couple of hours before the shooting, L.L. was captured on video in their condo elevator leaving wearing a blonde wig. O.K. was not captured leaving so police think he took the stairs.

Videos from the scene show O.K. and L.L. arrived first (5:07pm), with the victims arriving about 15 mins later. Then about 30 mins later, the Audi is driven out onto street, and then someone walks back to the building and the damaged Land Rover is driven out and both vehicles drive away. About four hours later, L.L. and O.K. are back at their condo.

www.thespec.com/news/crime/surveillance-video-shows-movements-before-and-after-stoney-creek-shooting/article_2e9bd2ab-bb9d-5593-90c7-f7d0d9beedb5.html

Around 3:00am, the two of them left the condo with L.L. carrying a UPS envelope (I think containing the life insurance documents) and O.K. was carrying a black garbage bag. They drove off in L.L.'s Mercedes and went to Muskoka. They parked at a store/gas station in Port Carling (employee arriving at 6:30am noticed the Mercedes; the store opened at 7 and at 8:00am O.K. and L.L. went inside to use bathroom and buy snacks and then they left). Later the owner's daughter found a black garbage bag in the recycling -- inside were bullets, a hat and a blonde wig. The owner called police. He later also found a license plate.

www.thespec.com/news/crime/lucy-li-and-oliver-karafa-travelled-to-muskoka-day-after-shooting/article_f04d9c83-caf5-500a-9f63-39fb8d778253.html

They abandoned the Mercedes at the store in Port Carling and called a cab, asking to be taken to a bus station so they could get to Montreal to catch a flight. When they discovered they wouldn't make the bus in time, they paid the driver $400 to take them back to Toronto to a subway station (LOL). They they went to Union Station and took a train to Montreal.

www.thespec.com/news/crime/video-shows-oliver-karafa-and-lucy-li-travel-to-montreal-airport-after-shooting/article_43dab7f2-bd68-5e0f-b96e-07e46588e5f0.html