Prolific offenders Darius Commodore and David Geoghegan have been charged with first-degree murder in the alleged killing of a 26-year-old man overnight Halloween 2019 in the Chilliwack area, The Progress has learned.
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| Jordan Christopher Smyth was found deceased near Cultus Lake early on Nov. 1, 2019. |
READ MORE: Victim named in Halloween night homicide near Cultus Lake
At a press briefing on Tuesday (June 29), the RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) confirmed that Commodore, 24, and Geoghegan, 30, were arrested on June 25 with the assistance of the Abbotsford Police Department, the Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team, the Integrated Police Dog Services, RCMP Air 1, and the Chilliwack RCMP.
Commodore was arrested in Abbotsford, Geoghegan in Chilliwack.
“A tremendous amount of investigative work resulted in these charges being approved,” said Sgt. David Lee of IHIT in a press release. “The investigation remains ongoing and we know there are individuals with information related to Mr. Smyth’s murder and we are asking them to come forward.”
At the time of his killing, IHIT said Smyth was known to police and they believed his killing was targeted.
Weeks after the killing, rumours made their way to The Progress that Commodore and Geoghegan were allegedly responsible.
A source said the two were arrested on Friday, and the Chilliwack court registry confirmed Geoghegan and Commodore each face one count of murder under section 235(1) of the criminal code, which refers to either first or second degree murder.
While Smyth had a number of criminal charges to his name, they were all recent, in the year prior to his death, and all relatively minor matters.
Commodore and Geoghegan, however, are well-known to Chilliwack RCMP with serious criminal records and numerous recent matters before the courts.
David Allen Geoghegan, seen here being arrested on an outstanding warrant on Nov. 2, 2018, was again arrested on a B.C.-wide warrant in May. (Paul Henderson/ The Progress file)
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Just over a year ago, Commodore was convicted for a string of offences alongside Owen Dale Charpentier who himself is facing a murder charge for the alleged killing of Keith Baldwin, just nine days before Smyth was killed. No one has alleged there was anything connecting the two homicides.
READ MORE: Chilliwack prolific offender charged with murder of Keith Baldwin
Smyth’s body was found in an open area off a remote section of Sleepy Hollow Road on the reserve about one kilometre from Cultus Lake on Nov. 1, 2019.
IHIT asked drivers with dash-cam video who were travelling on the roadways in the Cultus Lake area on Halloween night to come forward.
“We believe [Jordan Smyth] was targeted for murder,” Jang said. “He was found wearing a black zippered hoodie, grey sweat pants, and light-coloured running shoes. There are many aspects of this investigation that still remain a mystery including the motive behind the homicide.”
After the death, a number of people posted rest in peace messages on Smyth’s Facebook page. One suggested the young man had children: “I’m so sorry to hear about this my heart goes out to your parents & your children may you rest in peace my friend.”
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Homicide investigators were on scene Nov. 1, 2019 following the discovery of a body on the Soowahlie First Nation reserve off Sleepy Hollow Road near Cultus Lake, south of Chilliwack. (Paul Henderson/ The Progress)
Approximate location on the Soowahlie First Nation between Chilliwack and Cultus Lake where a body was found on Nov. 1, 2019. IHIT is investigating. (Google Maps)
Homicide investigators were on scene Nov. 1, 2019 following the discovery of a body on the Soowahlie First Nation reserve off Sleepy Hollow Road near Cultus Lake, south of Chilliwack. (Paul Henderson/ The Progress)
