Murder trial shown scene of crime in Stoney Creek
Detective also testifies about vehicles linked to shooting
Tyler Pratt was found lying on his back, arms outspread, on the ground behind a building at 347 Arvin Ave.
Hamilton police counted two bullets and seven nine-millimetre cartridge casings around him. There was also a plane ticket with Pratt’s name, a $5 bill, a woman’s boot and vehicle debris, Det. Mark Miller said in court Wednesday.
Some of the vehicle debris matched pieces missing from a Range Rover recovered in Toronto — one of three vehicles forensically examined in the investigation.
Oliver Karafa and Yun (Lucy) Lu Li are charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder for the Feb. 28, 2021 shooting that killed Pratt. His girlfriend Jordyn Romano survived being shot in the heart, but was 13 weeks pregnant at the time and lost the pregnancy. Karafa and Li have pleaded not guilty.
Court has heard Pratt was a successful cocaine trafficker in Vancouver and was looking to invest money into a business when he and Romano were introduced to Karafa. According to Romano, they invested $470,000 in a business pitched by Karafa to sell personal protective equipment in Europe. They later met Li, who suggested Romano buy a life insurance policy that — after the initial $1.5-million premium was paid in Canada — could help them move money from Europe.
Romano said that on the day of the shooting the two couples — who she believed to be friends — were meeting at the industrial Stoney Creek property to talk about the possibility of using it for another business growing marijuana. Instead she remembers being shot by Karafa. She was found crawling on the road by a passerby.
Miller, who worked in the forensics unit in February 2021, testified about the evidence documented at the crime scene. There was damage to the property, including a chain on the front gate that had been cut and damaged siding that appeared to be from a vehicle or vehicles.
The Range Rover discovered in Toronto belonged to Romano and she previously testified she and Pratt arrived at the Arvin Avenue property in that vehicle. Her memory following the shooting is fuzzy, but she recalls accelerating in the vehicle before being found crawling on Arvin.
There was damage to the vehicle, including a bullet hole in the driver’s side seat, with the bullet likely lodged in the Range Rover, Miller said. There was no bullet hole in the glass, so it’s likely the window was down, the door was open or the gun was fired inside the vehicle. A second bullet hole and bullet were found in the driver’s side door.
Inside the Range Rover, police found a number of items, including the ownership in Romano’s name, Pratt’s passport and British Columbia driver’s licence, and a Gucci duffel bag filled primarily with clothing.
Romano previously testified that Pratt had returned to Ontario that day with $20,000 that may have been in that duffel bag. Among the clothing was a shirt with No. 81 on it, which Miller agreed was code for Hells Angels — shirts worn by the biker club supporters, or wannabe members, but not actual members.
By using a chemical that makes blood glow blue, blood was found in the vehicle, Miller said, including on the dashboard and steering wheel.
Police also found an Audi Q5 SUV, allegedly driven by Karafa and Li at the scene, on Green Road, just south of South Service Road, after the shooting. The vehicle, which the Crown says Karafa bought from a friend’s mom hours before the shooting, had no licence plates and was damaged on the right side, front and back. Miller said its key was left on the front right tire.
Police found blood stains on the front hood that were faint, but could be seen more clearly when police applied a substance that turns blood stains purple.
No phones were found in any of the vehicles.
Finally, a Mercedes the Crown alleges was used by Li and Karafa after the shooting was found by Ontario Provincial Police in Bracebridge. Inside it, police found food, clothing, glasses, bolt cutters, gloves and other items, including a UPS envelope that contained insurance documents and a $1.5 million cheque for an insurance policy for Romano.
There was also a birthday card to Karafa from Romano and Pratt.
The trial also heard from Iris Lopez, who sold Karafa the Audi for $10,000 on the day of the shooting. Her son, who was a friend of Karafa’s and arranged the sale, is also a witness in the trial.
While Lopez said there were some mechanical issues that had caused her problems with the vehicle, it was driveable and there was no damage to the body at the time it was sold.
She didn’t see Karafa, but signed the ownership to be passed over.
She also instructed her husband to take off the licence plates.
The trial continues Thursday.