Richard Ernest Alexander, the man accused of a 2016 murder near Sayward, has been granted bail ahead of his trial.
Alexander is president and a founding member of the Devils Army, a biker gang that has been active in Campbell River since 2009, according to police.
The $600,000 bail reportedly comes with a long list of conditions: he can’t have contact with former associates from the Devils Army or other outlaw biker clubs or wear any clothing or other items with their logos or insignia.
He’s also reportedly required to cover up gang-related tattoos, can’t own weapons, can’t leave B.C. without written permission from a bail supervisor and can’t travel outside of Canada.
READ MORE: Police make arrest in connection with 2016 Vancouver Island homicide
Alexander is reportedly living on the Lower Mainland and can’t visit Vancouver Island except for court hearings or for visits with his lawyer.
He’s also reportedly subject to a curfew, and visitors to his home are restricted, among a number of other conditions. Reasons for his bail reportedly can’t be released due to a publication ban.
His case is slated for a preliminary inquiry in September.
READ MORE: Sayward suspicious death upgraded to homicide
He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder last October by BC’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit and the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crimes Unit in connection with the March 2016 murder of 30-year-old John Dillon Brown of Saanich.
At the time of Alexander’s arrest, police said that more than 200 officers were involved in the investigation.
Brown’s body was found in a car near the one-way bridge into Sayward in March 2016. He was a father and a mixed-martial arts fighter who competed under the name “Tomahawk.”
READ MORE: Police raid clubhouse of Devils Army motorcycle gang
In August 2017, a major raid took place on Petersen Road as police executed a search warrant at a location they described as a known clubhouse for the Devils Army.
In a media release following the raid, police described the Devils Army as an outlaw biker club “known to be a support club for the Haney Hells Angels chapter” with “five full-patch members and two strikers.”
