by Kathy Michaels, Black Press
The three men accused of fatally shooting Jonathan Bacon of Abbotsford outside the Delta Grand Hotel in 2011 won’t face a jury of their peers.
“All accused in this case elected to be tried by a superior court judge sitting without a jury,” said Dan McLaughlin, communications counsel with the Criminal Justice Branch.
“Crown Counsel, on behalf of the Attorney General of BC, consented to this election pursuant to section 473 (1) of the Criminal Code.”
McLaughlin could not provide any information as to the specific circumstances relating to the decision.
Jujhar Khun-Khun of Surrey, Michael Kerry Hunter Jones of Gibsons, and Jason Thomas McBride of North Vancouver made the decision on Nov. 17 to have a jury-free trial, scheduled to begin on May 1, 2017 in Kelowna.
They have been in custody since their arrest in February 2013, and each face a first-degree murder charge and four counts each of attempted murder. There are also firearms offences against them.
The trial is scheduled for 10 months.
Bacon was killed outside the Delta Grand hotel in Kelowna in August 2011 after a masked gunman armed with an automatic weapon opened fire on a Porsche Cayenne SUV.
Bacon, who was thought to be the leader of the Red Scorpions gang at the time, died at the scene.
Hells Angels member Larry Amero was treated for wounds incurred, and two women were also injured — one of whom was paralyzed. A fifth person was said to have run from the bloody scene.
