Trial delayed again for men accused of killing gangster Jonathan Bacon
The trial for three men charged with the 2011 murder of Red Scorpion gangster Jonathan Bacon has been delayed by two weeks.
Accused killers Jujhar Singh Khun-Khun, Michael Jones and Jason McBride were supposed to go to trial May 1.
But because Khun-Khun has suffered medical issues, the trial has been postponed until May 15. Khun-Khun survived targeted shootings in 2011 and 2013, but has permanent injuries as a result.
The trial will now begin with a defence application to throw out the charges because of the length of time the case has taken to get to trial, Crown spokesman Dan McLaughlin said.
Khun-Khun, Jones and McBride were charged in February 2013 with first-degree murder for allegedly gunning down Bacon in Kelowna in August 2011. They were also charged with the attempted murder of Hells Angel Larry Amero and Independent Soldier James Riach and two women who were all in the Porsche Cayenne with Bacon when it was sprayed by gunfire near a popular resort and casino.
At the time of the Kelowna shooting, Bacon, Amero, Riach and some of their gang associates had formed a loose coalition they dubbed the Wolf Pack to carry on their criminal business.
Amero is now in jail in Montreal awaiting trial in a major undercover drug investigation. Riach is believed to be out of the country.
A number of cases have been thrown out in recent months because of delays getting to trial.
A Supreme Court of Canada decision last summer set time limits for the completion of trials at both the Supreme Court and Provincial Court levels. The ruling said unless exceptional circumstances exist, a case in B.C. Supreme Court should conclude within 30 months, while a case at the lower court level should conclude within 18 months.