Edmonton man found guilty of cutting off Richard Suter’s thumb

A man charged with kidnapping and aggravated assault in the 2015 abduction and beating of Richard Suter has been found guilty of the charges.

The decision for Steven Gordon Vollrath came down Wednesday morning in an Edmonton courtroom. He was found guilty of kidnapping, aggravated assault, possession of a dangerous weapon and impersonating a peace officer.

“This is a great result,” Crown Prosecutor James Stewart said. “The reason that it was achieved was because of the hard work and excellent detective skills of the members of the Edmonton Police Service that were assigned to investigate this horrific offence.”

READ MORE: ‘It must be some kind of vengeance,’ alleged drunk driver says of abduction, beating

Vollrath was accused of being one of three people who went to a southwest Edmonton home in January 2015 and demanded Suter come with them as they impersonated police officers. The men drove Suter to a nearby field, where they cut off one of his thumbs and left him in the field.

Suter was behind the wheel of an SUV that crashed onto a south Edmonton restaurant patio in 2013, killing two-year-old Geo Mounsef. Suter was sentenced to four months in jail for failing to provide a breath sample in a death.

Throughout the trial, one main concern was over the proper identity of the suspects, as they were wearing masks.

Vollrath’s lawyer focused on the uncertainty of Suter’s identification attempts.

Vollrath’s lawyer said the police had tunnel vision in the case and Suter couldn’t say for certain the identity of the masked men.

While Suter’s abductors wore masks, the victim told court he could see their faces. Court watched a video of Suter pick a man out of a photo lineup. Suter claimed he was 90 per cent sure the man he selected was one of his attackers.

At the time of the 2015 incident, Suter was found with a fanny pack which contained an expired licence belonging to Vollrath. The accused also purchased a fake bulletproof vest days before the attack.

READ MORE: Edmonton trial begins for man accused of cutting off Richard Suter’s thumb

In her decision, the judge said the contents of the fanny pack link the accused to the fanny pack and the pack was linked to the kidnapping. The judge said that evidence, along with the vest, is inconsistent with any other rational conclusion.

“The court is satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused was one of Mr. Suter’s attackers,” judge E.A. Johnson wrote in her decision. “The evidence established a planned group enterprise with the intention to abduct and harm Mr. Suter.”

Vollrath will be sentenced on June 17. The Crown said it will seek a sentence in the range of 15 to 20 years.