Accused contract killer on trial for murder of Lloydminster, Alta., drug dealer
CBC
The underbelly of the drug scene in Lloydminster, Alta., is on full display at a first-degree murder trial which began in Edmonton this week.
Christopher Hermkens and Mark Moran are charged with killing Raymond Dumont in April 2019. The 32-year-old was found dead behind the wheel of his vehicle, killed by numerous gunshots.
Hermkens is being tried alone because Moran's defence lawyer had a medical issue that prevented him from appearing in court in person. Moran's trial will be held at a later date.
On the first day of the trial, prosecutor Dallas Sopko painted a vivid picture outlining the Crown's theory.
"This case is about an ongoing feud between two members of the Lloydminster drug subculture," Sopko said. "A feud between Steven Thorne, an unindicted co-conspirator, and the deceased, Ray Dumont."
Sopko said Dumont, also known as "Ray Ray," had a lot of enemies.
While Dumont was in jail, his girlfriend Chelsey Hart formed a relationship with Thorne, a local drug dealer known as "Crazy."
According to the Crown, Dumont was released from custody just a few days before his death and made his anger toward Thorne well-known.
The Crown theorizes that Thorne and his associates decided it would be safer to sell drugs in Lloydminster without competition from Dumont.
"I expect the evidence will establish that Crazy, along with his associates ... made a business decision to get rid of Ray," Sopko told the court.
"Rather than kill Ray themselves, they hired the accused, Christopher Hermkens, known as 'Cage' to come and do the job for them."
The Crown said Hermkens was motivated by the $100,000 bounty put on Dumont's head as he wanted to buy his new girlfriend a luxury car.
"The stage was set," Sopko said. "A conspiracy was formed and a contract was made."
The Crown says Hermkens, who lived in Edmonton, prepared for the job by sanding and painting a handgun and assault-style rifle.
Kamloops Coun. Bill Sarai has apologized after admitting he secretly recorded his argument with Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson in January 2023, then sent a snippet of the conversation to the mayor, suggesting someone else had recorded it.
Yellowknife city council removed $550,000, intended to operate its own dog pound, from the city's draft budget on Monday.
The RCMP says it's considering deploying Mounties-in-training to help police the Canada-U.S. border as political anxiety over border control mounts in the face of tariff threats from the incoming Trump administration.
The death and destruction in the Crosschild family didn't stop at the domestic murder of Autumn, a 25-year-old Indigenous woman killed by Brandon Yellowfly, the man she once wanted to marry.
Josh Smee imagines a future in which food banks no longer exist in Canada, because people don't need them.
The Toronto Transit Commission board has voted to ban electric bikes with lithium-ion batteries from TTC vehicles and stations from November 15 to April 15 each year due to safety concerns.
Prince Edward Island now has a law on the books to regulate service dogs, but it could be two more years before it comes into effect.
The partner of a man who went missing near Chetwynd, B.C. more than six weeks ago says she believes their dog, which disappeared at the same time, has been found alive.
WARNING: This story contains details of sexual assault and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
Multinational food corporation Cargill said on Tuesday it plans to cut roughly five per cent of its staff, or about 8,000 jobs.
The season's first blast of winter weather continued Tuesday in the region and north of the city with some schools and school purpose vehicles cancelled and plows out in force on the roads.