Fatal stabbing on seawall was premeditated, police say
Man charged with first-degree murder in death of man walking dog last winter
Vancouver police allege the stabbing death of a man on Vancouver’s Stanley Park seawall last February was premeditated.
VPD Superintendent Mike Porteous spoke at a news conference in Vancouver on Wednesday to address why the suspect in the homicide of 61-year-old dog walker Lubomir Kunik has been charged with first-degree murder.
Porteous said investigators know a specific motive for the killing, but are withholding the information because the case is before the courts.
“I cannot speak specifically to what was in the suspect’s mind, and I hesitate to hypothesize about what-ifs, but what I can say was this was premeditated in nature and you can draw your own conclusions,” Porteous said.
Investigators determined there are no links between this case and other attacks that have happened in Stanley Park, Porteous added.
Police say the investigation was complex and took nearly a year. A break in the case came when the VPD’s forensic team found a link between evidence collected on the seawall and the suspect.
Porteous would not provide details of that link, but said it was very challenging to collect evidence on the seawall in the winter.
“But they were able to glean the tiniest bit of evidence that led them to the suspect, which they then had to investigate to get further evidence to support charges,” he said at a news conference in Vancouver.
Police say Kunik and the suspect, Tyler Anthony Lagimodiere, did not know each other. Lagimodiere, 29, was charged with first-degree murder on Monday. His next appearance will be on Jan. 17.
Kunik was found suffering from stab wounds around 11 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2017. He later died at the scene.
Police said he was the second murder victim of 2017 in Vancouver.
Kunik lived in the West End of Vancouver and was said to be an avid amateur photographer. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Kunik, known as “Bobor,” moved to Vancouver at a young age and was “moved by the beauty and freedom of nature,” according to a memorial posted on forevermissed.com.
“Bobor took every moment to explore each acre of wilderness and climbed to every mountaintop he could find. Setting a pace, and never giving up until he reached the top, he was built tough as a nail.”
He was also described on the memorial page as fiercely loyal and open-hearted.
Lagimodiere was sentenced to two years in jail for his role in the violent 2007 robbery of a Maple Ridge home. Along with two other men, Lagimodiere broke into the house, beat a 23-year-old man inside and then made off with $90,000 and several kilograms of marijuana.
Last summer he was convicted of stealing a car with an accomplice — his accomplice was also convicted of assaulting a police officer — and in 2012 he was convicted of uttering threats.
What I can say was this was premeditated in nature and you can draw your own conclusions.