Defence questions shooting victim about drug business at murder trial
Oliver Karafa, Lucy Li are charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in death of Tyler Pratt, wounding of girlfriend
Tyler Pratt made good money selling cocaine in Vancouver — one time $1 million in a day — and he lived largely “off the grid” with no property, bank accounts or credit cards in his name, court heard Monday at the ongoing trial of his alleged killers.
But he was not involved in gang activity and was not violent or threatening, his girlfriend Jordyn Romano said. Instead, he was moving away from drug dealing because the couple were building a life together in Toronto and she didn’t want him to end up in jail.
On her third day on the witness stand, Romano was grilled by defence lawyers for Oliver Karafa and
Yun (Lucy) Lu Li, who are charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder for the Feb. 28, 2021 shooting that killed Pratt. Romano survived being shot in the heart. Karafa and Li have pleaded not guilty.
“Your moral compass is a little off-kilter,” Li’s lawyer Liam O’Connor repeatedly suggested to Romano, pointing to her acceptance of Pratt’s “dirty money” from drug sales that bought the two a lavish lifestyle documented in photos of designer goods in their apartment.
Romano agreed she had done “some shady things,” but said she is a good person.
Romano has testified that she and Pratt met Karafa and then Li through a mutual friend and invested $470,000 in a personal protective
equipment (PPE) venture in Europe. They were told the business was doing well but that it was difficult to get them their money without having a European bank account. Romano testified that Li pitched they buy into a life insurance policy through her mom’s
company — initially suggested to be a $2.8-million policy but later reduced to $1.5 million. After an initial Canadian payment, they were told they could move money over from Europe.
But the day before they were set to sign the agreement and when Karafa was supposed to pay back $500,000, the two couples met at an Arvin Avenue business where Karafa allegedly killed Pratt — he was shot six times — and Romano was shot in the heart. She testified to having a fuzzy memory of what happened between being shot in her car and being found crawling on the road by a passing driver. She didn’t see Pratt killed.
When she woke up from a coma in the hospital, she was shocked, she said. She couldn’t move or talk. As she recovered she was in constant pain. But worse was the anxiety, PTSD and loss of Pratt. She was about
13 weeks pregnant when she was shot and lost the pregnancy as a result.
Romano met Pratt while she was working as an exotic dancer and the relationship moved quickly with Romano stopping work. She testified she made good money on her own, but Pratt made significantly more selling cocaine. She said he did most of his work on his phone and had other people who sold the drug.
Pratt also had a trucking business that was used to launder his drug money, she said.
On the day of the shooting, Romano and Pratt had just returned to Toronto. Romano testified that he brought $20,000 in cash back from Vancouver — possibly in a Gucci duffel bag — that was never recovered from the scene.
The Range Rover she was shot in — and that was later recovered by police — was a writeoff. Romano said she was given $90,000 from insurance for a replacement. She agreed the money to buy that car came
from cocaine trafficking.
Jessica Zita, one of Karafa’s lawyers, asked whether Pratt had ever threatened Karafa in their business dealings, including whether he once said Karafa better “figure out” a business issue “or he will break his legs.” Romano denied this.
She agreed that in July 2020 — about six months into her relationship with Pratt — the two got into an argument and she came back to Toronto from Vancouver. However, she denied telling anyone that Pratt had physically hurt her.
She described Pratt as “very down to earth” and, despite their lavish lifestyle, loving his family more than anything.
The two took a trip to Dubai with two friends shortly after Christmas 2020, Romano said. One of those friends was shot and killed in Vancouver after they returned, but Romano said she didn’t know anything about what happened.
Zita asked whether Pratt was tied to gangs, specifically Wolfpack — a well-known organized crime group with ties to Hells Angels in British Columbia. Romano denied this. When asked whether Pratt associated with anyone with ties to the organized crime group, Romano said she “stayed out of that.”
Romano told the court she is suing Karafa, Li and the mutual friend who was also involved in the PPE business venture.
Romano previously testified the two couples had become friends during their business dealings. However, O’Connor suggested Li had a different view of the relationship and didn’t really want to hang out with Pratt and Romano.
While the couple met with Karafa maybe 100 times, they met with Li maybe 10 times, Romano said, adding that Li was only around for maybe the last six weeks leading up to the shooting.
The trial continues Tuesday, with Romano returning to the witness box.