Teen accused in killing admits he lied to police

A Vancouver man accused of murdering his elderly father in a dispute over the purchase of a Ferrari on Thursday admitted that he initially lied to police and others about his involvement in the death.

The admission by Alexander Shevalev, who has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the March 2015 killing of Vladimir Shevalev, 80, came during cross-examination at his trial in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.

The Crown’s theory is that before the slaying, the accused stole about $100,000 from his father’s account to buy a used Ferrari and that after his father, a successful businessman from Russia, discovered the missing money and the fact that the luxury vehicle had been purchased, he demanded that his son return the vehicle.

During a confrontation over the vehicle at the father’s luxury highrise apartment in Coal Harbour, the son choked his father before putting the victim on his bed and then fleeing the scene, according to the prosecution.

But Shevalev told a B.C. Supreme Court jury that during the argument in the apartment, his father had become angry and had hit him in the groin and spit at him and that he had held him down to defend himself.

Under questioning from Crown counsel Geordie Proulx, Shevalev, who was 19 years old at the time of the murder and is now 22, admitted that his story about what happened changed and that he had lied to a 911 operator, paramedics and to police.

“I lied to everybody because I didn’t know the consequences,” the accused said at one point in his cross-examination.

The accused however denied a suggestion by Proulx that when it appeared that he might not get the Ferrari back from his father, it sparked the violent confrontation that ensued.

“I’m going to suggest that during that confrontation, you applied a chokehold,” said Proulx.

“I don’t remember applying a chokehold,” said Shevalev, who was dressed neatly in a suit and tie.

“You directly caused your father’s death,” suggested the prosecutor.

“I know I contributed to his death,” replied the accused.

“I’m going to suggest to you, sir, that his death was no accident,” said Proulx.

“I don’t know that,” said Shevalev.

Asked by Proulx if he had overpowered his elderly father, the accused at first said he didn’t know whether he had done so and then said he may have in fact overpowered him.

“It’s not a question of may have,” said Proulx. “You did.”

“I don’t know,” said Shevalev. “He was a strong man. He hit me in the groin.”

The accused was also questioned about an incident in January 2015 in which his father threw him out of the apartment following a dispute involving $34,000 that went missing from the accused’s bank account, money which the accused believed had been taken by his father.

Proulx asked the accused about records from the accused’s cellphone that showed someone had entered an internet search for “How to choke a guy in 10 seconds.”

The accused admitted he did other internet searches on his phone, around the same time, but he denied searching about choking.

The trial continues Friday.