Charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the Surrey Six massacre have been stayed against Jamie Bacon.
Eileen Mohan, whose son Christopher, 22, was killed, says she feels “totally numb.”
“My emotions are so high,” she told the Now-Leader. “I don’t feel hot, I don’t feel cold. I don’t feel I have a heart beat left. It’s just so unacceptable.
“I had so much confidence in the justice system, the court system. It’s almost like betrayal.”
Christopher Mohan was one of the six men shot dead in a penthouse suite on the 15th floor of Whalley’s Balmoral Tower on Oct. 19, 2007. Eileen lived with Christopher on that very floor and had she been home, she likely would have shared her son’s fate.
Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston were convicted in 2014 of six counts of first-degree murder, and one count of conspiracy.
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In a news release on Friday afternoon, Crown counsel said the court announced that an application for a stay of proceedings to terminate the prosecution brought by Bacon had been granted.
The decision was released that morning, but the announcement of the result was delayed until the families of the victims could be notified.
The proceedings over Bacon’s application occurred in closed court because of several issues, Crown said, including solicitor-client privilege.
The reasons the judge granted the application have been sealed.
“I am bound by the law as I have described it and accordingly am not at liberty to provide any further information about my rulings or the evidence and materials underlying them,” Justice Kathleen Ker wrote.
READ MORE: Jamie Bacon faces new charges for alleged plot to kill Person X
READ MORE: Accused killer Jamie Bacon’s Surrey Six trial delayed again
Bacon’s trial has been delayed multiple times since he was first charged in 2009, often because of complicated pre-trial applications.
He remains in custody on a separate charge of counselling a murder. He’s alleged to have been involved in a plot to kill Person X – whose name is protected by a publication ban in the Surrey Six trial – sometime between Nov. 30, 2008 and Jan. 2, 2009.
The Crown declined to comment further, but said it is reviewing the decision and whether it should appeal.
“The families of the victims and all who have been impacted by this terrible crime deserve peace, and they will not find it today,” Attorney General David Eby said in a statement. “I am confident that the BC Prosecution Service will complete their review as soon as possible.”
