Items seized by police revealed on first day of Kamloops lawyer’s first-degree murder trial

KAMLOOPS — Former Kamloops lawyer Rogelio (Butch) Bagabuyo took notes and watched intently on the first day of his trial on Monday (April 14) at the Kamloops Law Courts.

He pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder of his former client, Mohd Abdullah, who was reported missing on March 11, 2022.

Abdullah’s body was discovered in the back of a van in a Dufferin cul-de-sac six days after he was reported missing.

Lawyers filed nearly 60 exhibits on Monday, a process that pushed opening statements to Tuesday morning.

Crown prosecutor Sameena Nahal described the evidence, which was removed carefully from brown paper packaging by RCMP Cst. Nicholas Evelyn, who wore black latex gloves.

Items seized from the backyard of the Bagabuyo residence at 1175 Columbia St. include a wheeled black tote bin, yellow rope, cables and cords.

A series of items were seized from a Budget rental van, including a maroon jacket, two shovels, tape, a ratcheting strap, an X-ACTO knife, a 12-inch serrated saw blade, a roll of plastic film, an Oneida brand steak knife, multiple plastic bags and a green beach towel with “Bagabuyo” written in black on the tag.

Nahal showed the court a white plastic bag with the word “after” written on it in black.

Several garbage bags were shown to have holes in their bottoms and sides, while another plastic bag was labelled with the following letters: AF.

Some of the plastic bags appear to be melted, along with a portion of the wrist area of the maroon jacket.

Seized from a Honda Pilot was a white garbage bag with the word “after” written on it.

Items were filed on Monday that were seized from inside the Bagabuyo residence.

They include a black garbage bag with holes cut in the bottom and sides and an index card with a note on it that reads: “Bag everything after. Don’t bring phone, e-watch. Turn apps off, location services.”

On that same index card was Expedia information for a flight from New York City to Vancouver.

Nahal showed the court Home Depot receipts, altered bank statements and a bank teller receipt for a $7,500 cheque deposit and $2,500 withdrawal.

Nearly 30 documents were found on Bagabuyo’s person when he was arrested in March of 2022, some of which include copies of emails between Bagabuyo and Abdullah.

The trial is in front of B.C. Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Ker and is scheduled to run in Kamloops for three weeks before shifting to Vancouver.