Investigators have laid their first charge in the London, Ont., murder of Lynda Marques, a 30-year-old woman who was gunned down on Sept. 10, 2021, as she returned to her home in the city’s north end.
During a news conference at London police headquarters on Wednesday morning, Acting Det. Insp. Alex Krygsman said Ammar Patel, 18, of Toronto has been charged with first-degree murder.
“Patel has been in custody since Nov. 17, 2021, on other matters unrelated to this case, however he is scheduled to make an appearance in court here in London this afternoon in relation to this charge,” Krygsman said.
Patel’s brief court appearance on Wednesday saw his case held over until June 15. The court also ordered that Patel not communicate with dozens of people, three of whom share a last name with the victim.
A media release previously posted to Toronto police’s website says the November arrest of Patel was tied to “an investigation involving the trafficking of Firearms and Narcotics in the Thorncliffe Park neighborhood” referred to as “Project Malibu.” Toronto police’s website automatically deletes media releases after 30 days.
At the time, Toronto police charged Patel with 58 charges, most of which are firearm-related offences and drug trafficking-related offences.
Krygsman would not say when Patel became connected to Marques’ murder nor how police made the connection.
“I’m going to hold on to that for now, it was a process that unfolded over the course of time,” he said.
Krygsman was tight-lipped about other details surrounding the ongoing investigation and would not say whether Patel is one of two people pictured in a screenshot of surveillance footage captured on the day of Marque’s death. That photo was shared by police in late March.
He added that several suspects remain at large, but would not provide a specific number for how many.
Police released another photo tied to the investigation in April.
It depicted a man whom police wanted to identify as he is believed to have information related to Marques’ death.
“We believe we’ve identified this person. So far, we have not located him to be able to speak to him,” Krygsman added.
As for other information available on Marques’ death, police previously said the suspects fled in a black Volkswagen Jetta. The vehicle was recovered on Meadowlily Road South on Sept. 15, 2021.
At the time, police said officers had reason to believe the “persons involved in the murder of Ms. Marques” travelled to London from the Greater Toronto Area on Sept. 9, and left the city “immediately after her murder” on Sept. 10.
“We were in contact with the victim’s family this morning, they expressed gratitude for the work of the police, and we assured them that in spite of this arrest and this charge, this investigation is not over,” Krygsman said on Wednesday.
“Why this happened to Lynda forms a central part of our investigation.”
Anyone with information can contact police at (519) 661-5670, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or leave an anonymous tip on Crime Stoppers’ website for London, Elgin County and Middlesex County.
— with files from Global News’ Hannah Jackson