Accused killer denied bail after two-year run from law
Police fly to Vietnam after being told authorities there had him in custody
The 22-year-old Calgary man accused of the first-degree murder of Lukas Strasser-Hird has been denied bail and will face additional charges after being on the run for nearly two years.
Sgt. Colin Chisholm said police were notified accused murderer Nathan Gervais was in custody in Vietnam in November of last year.
He said it took months of co-ordination with Vietnamese authorities, Japanese police and Interpol to bring him back to Canada.
“This is like nothing else in my 28 years of policing that I’ve ever come across,” Chisholm said. “The work by our investigators, the cooperation between agencies was just absolutely tremendous.”
Gervais was taken into custody by police in Ontario after detectives from Calgary went to Vietnam and accompanied the accused killer back to Canada, police said.
He was then flown to Calgary, where he appeared before the court on Friday morning and was denied bail.
Police were not able to give any details on why or where Gervais was arrested in Vietnam, because the investigation is still underway, adding more information will be made public soon.
“Even if a case was in Edmonton, we wouldn’t comment on their arrest,” Chisholm said. “It’s not our place to do so.”
Chisholm did say police are investigating if Gervais had any assistance evading police and he will face charges related to his run from the law.
Canada-wide warrants were issued for Gervais after he disappeared from his Calgary home in 2016.
He had been under house arrest when he fled the country before standing trial for the murder of 18-year-old Strasser-Hird, who was killed outside Vinyl Nightclub after a Saturday night out with friends in 2013.
When Gervais went missing, his bail was revoked, a move that ended up costing Gervais’ father a $50,000 cash bond and a $100,000 signed surety against his home.
Chisholm said Gervais appears to be in good health and is co-operating with police.
Four other young men stood trial for the stomping, swarming and stabbing death of Strasser-Hird while Gervais was on the run.
Joch Pouk was found guilty of manslaughter, Assmar Shlah and Franz Cabrera were both convicted of second-degree murder, while Jordan Liao was acquitted.
Shlah was recently released on bail pending an appeal.
The court heard in 2016 that the events that led to Strasser-Hird’s murder started when he stood up for a bouncer as Shlah shouted racial epithets at the club’s employee.
During the trial, Shlah’s friend, Gino Aiello, said the altercation continued outside when a group, allegedly including Gervais, followed Strasser-Hird into a back alley, beating and kicking him.
The cause of death was determined to be a stab wound to the chest.
Aiello told the court he never saw Strasser-Hird being stabbed. But under cross-examination, Aiello said that later that morning, while at a house party, Gervais claimed to have stabbed Strasser-Hird.
Chisholm said Strasser-Hird’s family are thankful the accused killer is now in custody and he is “back to face justice.”
Chisholm said Gervais is expected to appear before the courts again next week.