English
A British Columbia court has rejected a bid by convicted Surrey Six killer Cody Haevischer to overturn his murder convictions, delivering a significant ruling that brought emotional relief to at least one victim’s family. Justice Martha Devlin dismissed Haevischer’s application on Thursday, finding that the overwhelming majority of his claims lacked merit.
Background on the Surrey Six Murders
In October 2007, six men were shot in the head inside Balmoral Tower in Surrey, British Columbia. Among the dead were two innocent bystanders, Ed Schellenberg and Christopher Mohan, who had no connection to the gang conflict that motivated the killings.
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In 2014, Haevischer, a member of the Red Scorpions gang, received convictions on six counts of first-degree murder. Fellow gang member Matthew Johnston also faced conviction for his role in the killings. Johnston died in 2022.
Legal Challenge and Court Ruling
Following their convictions, Haevischer and Johnston applied for a stay of proceedings, alleging abuse of process. The pair argued that systemic police misconduct and inhumane conditions during their custody had violated their right to a fair trial.
In 2023, the Supreme Court of Canada granted the Surrey Six killers a new evidentiary hearing. The process involved 39 witnesses and 209 exhibits before Justice Devlin reached her decision.
Devlin acknowledged that some aspects of Haevischer’s solitary confinement did breach his Charter rights. However, she determined those conditions arose from “legitimate concerns” for his safety. On the broader claims, she ruled that “the vast majority of Mr. Haevischer’s allegations simply have no merit.” She dismissed the application, stating that “any other outcome would not serve to protect the integrity of the justice system.”
Victim’s Mother Reacts to the Decision
Christopher Mohan’s mother, Eileen Mohan, attended the courthouse on Thursday and wept when the court dismissed Haevischer’s application. She described her tears as ones of relief rather than grief.
“These are tears of happiness and confidence in the law,” Eileen said. “Courts have respected Christopher also and everyone who died that day, so it’s a beautiful day.”
Eileen expressed frustration that the convicted killers had pursued years of legal challenges at public expense. “The people who took my son’s life have used the taxpayers’ dollars to their advantage in every turn to set themselves free while we grieve for the loss of our people,” she said.
She welcomed the ruling as a moment of hard-won peace. “You just can’t walk to the doorstep of my home, steal my innocent son’s life and expect to walk free from the courts,” Eileen said. “There’s some peace in my heart and soul and mind.”
Sentence Confirmed
Before confirming six concurrent life sentences, Justice Devlin noted that Haevischer “extinguished the lives of six defenceless men.” The ruling closes a lengthy legal chapter in one of British Columbia’s most notorious gang-related mass murders, reaffirming the convictions that have stood since 2014.
