An investigation between multiple policing agencies has determined a number of seemingly random incidents leading up to the death of Kathleen Richardson in her Naramata home in 2021 are, in fact, connected, police say.
The 57-year-old was found dead in her residence along 3rd Street on June 9, 2021.
At the time, RCMP said officers were visiting her home that day, seeking information on a recent and nearby double killing, when her body was discovered just before 5 p.m.
One month earlier on May 10, the bodies of Kamloops brothers Erick and Carlos Fryer were found near Naramata.
Richardson became the third homicide victim in the Naramata area of Penticton over the course of just four weeks.
In June 2021, the Joint Force Operation (JFO), comprised of officers from the RCMP’s Southeast District Major Crime Unit and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit from Southeast District, took conduct of the file and determined a number of preceding incidents were connected.
On May 25, 2021, Prince George RCMP launched an investigation after a targeted shooting was reported at 3 a.m. in the 5300 block of Cook Crescent.
No one was injured in this incident.
However, firearms were seized during two separate incidents in Quesnel that same weekend and found to be connected with the Prince George shooting.
On May 25 at approximately 6 a.m., Quesnel RCMP was called to a single-vehicle rollover on Highway 97 at Ten Mile Lake.
The investigation found that a white Genesis SUV crossed the centre line and rolled into a ditch.
The front passenger was seriously injured and police found a loaded handgun and a loaded assault rifle in the ditch behind the SUV. Three more firearms were seized following a search of another connected vehicle and those firearms were forensically linked to the shooting in Prince George.
Richardson’s body was discovered in her Naramata home on June 9, 2021.
Following an extensive investigation, three suspects were identified and charged.
Jalen Falk, age 23, from Vancouver, has been charged with first-degree murder in Richardson’s death. He was arrested on April 14, 2023 and remains in custody.
Ekene Anigbo, age 23, from Vancouver, has also been charged with first-degree murder in Richardson’s death.
Anigbo is currently in federal custody on unrelated firearms charges and will appear in court on April 18.
Shahram Tokhy, age 21, from Coquitlam, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the May 25, 2021, targeted shooting in Prince George.
Police allege all three were in the vehicle that crashed near Quesnel on May 25.
“Kathy’s murder has been devastating for her family, friends and the entire community of Naramata,” Supt. Brian Hunter, officer in charge, Penticton RCMP, said. “There have been so many unanswered questions and moments of angst over the past two years. The Penticton RCMP has made these cases one of our top priorities and have dedicated many resources into putting the pieces together. I hope that the news of these arrests can start the healing process and bring some closure to everyone impacted by these tragedies.”
The JFO said several other people were also identified and arrested as co-conspirators in these homicides and attempted murder, and all have been released without charges at this time.
In addition, the RCMP announced Monday that is referring to gang crimes in B.C. as the B.C. gang conflict, rather than the Lower Mainland gang conflict, to better reflect how widespread gang activities have become.
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