Police have charged a Calgary man with first-degree murder in the 2008 shooting death of Allan Richard Teather.
Teather was killed while in the parkade of a condo complex in the 100 block of Village Heights Southwest on Jan. 8, 2008.
“It brings back a lot of feelings and a lot of emotions, just like the day we were notified,” Teather’s mother Andria said on Friday.
On Wednesday, police said they had collected new evidence and information in the cold case and, a day later, announced a man had been arrested.
“I probably had a phone call from Allan a month before it happened,” Andria said. “I knew instinctively as a mother something was wrong, I implored him to come home to Vancouver.”
“He trusted people, he trusted friends and I think that probably, ultimately, was his demise.”
On Friday, police revealed 34-year-old Brian Cheng had been charged with first-degree murder.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
Police said it’s believed the victim was targeted and the killing was financially motivated.
“All unsolved homicide investigations remain open, and our unit continues to investigate these files in hopes of bringing justice to families of victims,” Staff Sgt. Colin Chisholm said in a Friday news release.
“No matter how much time has passed, we are dedicated to holding people accountable for these crimes.”
Teather’s mother hopes that people are able to look past the headlines and see that anyone, from any socioeconomic background, could end up in the same situation.
“You can’t stereotype the kinds of people that this happens to,” Andria said. “Our family was devastated, still is.”