A trial is underway in Vancouver Supreme Court for UN gang member Cory ‘Franky’ Vallee, 40, who is charged with first degree murder in the death of rival gang member Kevin LeClair.
LeClair, a Red Scorpion gang member and associate of the Bacon brothers, was gunned down in a busy Langley shopping centre parking lot in 2009.
Vallee is also on trial charged with conspiracy to murder the Bacons and their associates in the rival Red Scorpions gang.
At the time of those murders, there was a major gang war happening in the Lower Mainland.
In the murder of LeClair, the victim was chased into the busy Thunderbird mall parking lot in Walnut Grove by two vehicles, one a van and the other a car.
As many as 40 shots were heard and the spray of bullets was witnessed by dozens of people during the brazen daytime attack.
LeClair, an Abbotsford resident, died in hospital two days after he was shot.
In 2011, police announced that Vallee and UN gang leader Conor D’Monte were charged with LeClair’s murder, but both were at large.
In 2014, police in Mexico arrested Vallee. He was brought back to Canada where he has remained behind bars.
D’Monte is still at large.
Vallee is also charged with the 2008 murder of Jonathan Barber, of Langley.
Barber was an innocent victim who was killed in Burnaby while behind the wheel of a vehicle he was working on as part of his job as a stereo installer — a vehicle which turned out to be associated with the Bacon brothers, leaders of the Abbotsford-based Red Scorpions gang.
At the time of Barber’s death, homicide investigators said he was completely innocent and was just doing his job.
He had no idea he was working on a vehicle that was linked to the gang.
Vallee is also charged with attempted murder of Barber’s girlfriend, who was shot while following Barber.
She was to give Barber a ride home after he delivered the client’s vehicle.
