Police seized bags, ropes, shovels and a blood-stained jacket in Bagabuyo murder investigation

A Kamloops lawyer's first-degree murder trial started slowly Monday morning as the Crown lawyers presented dozens of exhibits. Bags, ropes, shovels and a blood-stained jacket were among the 24 exhibits pulled from bags, numbered and bagged again in Kamloops court, April 14. Rogelio Butch Bagabuyo, who is accused of killing Mohd Abdullah in 2022, took notes as a Kamloops RCMP officer showed each one of the exhibits to the judge. Bagabuyo was charged with first-degree murder a year after Abdullah's body was found in the back of a rental van on March 17, 2022. The trial started Monday, more than three years after Abdullah went missing. Bagabuyo was at a table behind his lawyers, while Const. Nicholas Evelyn was beside him, opening each paper bag containing a separate piece of evidence. The first was the Budget van rental contract followed by black straps and a black plastic tote, each described by Crown prosecutor Sameena Nahal, one of three prosecutors on the case. Wearing black latex gloves, Evelyn carefully cut each paper bag and pulled out its contents. There were several pieces of rope, cords and a ratchet strap. Two larger bags had shovels in them, one with a squared edge and the other, with mud still on its tip, a garden spade. Nahal showed the court a maroon-coloured puffer jacket which was found inside the van. She didn't say whether it belonged to Abdullah, but did describe how it had a tear on either sleeve, a burn mark and a blood stain. Evelyn carried each item to the court clerk as each one was carefully accounted for. Several black garbage bags were also entered as evidence, some melted to what appeared to be clear painter's sheets together and three were cut, appearing as if to be worn as a shirt. Justice Kathleen Ker was also shown a red, serrated reciprocating saw blade, which appeared to be in its package. It was found beside the handle for a paint roller inside the van. Nahal didn't describe the context for any of the evidence presented. Ker interjected partway through and said the process could be like "watching paint dry" for people in the gallery who were waiting for the trial to start. Nahal said it would take all morning and they nearly finished by the time the court took a lunch hour break. The trial is expected to take several days of court time, with a transition to a Vancouver court before it is finished. Bagabuyo initially opted for a jury trial, but he later changed his mind and the case will be decided by Ker. Abdullah was discovered inside a plastic bin in a rental van on March 17, 2022. Bagabuyo had been described as a friend and had at times offered legal advice to Abdullah, according to a family member of the victim. Initially charged with interference with a dead body, a year-long investigation ended with a first-degree murder charge. Abdullah was reported missing when he didn't show up for work just days before the grisly discovery. Bagabuyo, who pleaded not guilty, has been on bail for most of the three years since Abdullah's body was found. To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .