Man found guilty in arson series ordered by Edmonton landlord
CBC
A man accused in a series of north-central Edmonton arsons is guilty of starting fires that damaged or destroyed several homes in 2020 and 2021, a judge ruled Thursday.
Darcy Willier was found guilty of six of the 10 arson charges he faced, including one that was downgraded to a lesser charge.
He's also guilty of six weapons charges related to a sawed-off rifle and ammunition he was caught with when he was arrested in 2022.
In his decision, Court of King's Bench Justice Nathan Whitling determined Willier's motive was his work for notorious Edmonton landlord Abdullah Shah, also known as Carmen Pervez.
Willier burned down some of the properties himself, or sent associates to set fires, as part of a scheme overseen by Shah.
Shah was shot and killed outside his south Edmonton home in March 2022. A suspect has yet to be identified in his death.
Willier was arrested and charged in the arson case about three months after the shooting.
Whitling found that statements Willier made to undercover police officers under an investigation dubbed "Project Ignis" show Shah was in a dispute with another local property owner, Gina Cai.
The court heard evidence about statements Willier made during the seven-month undercover operation. In a recorded conversation, one of the undercover officers asks Willier whether he set a particular fire.
"No, I did it. Turn and burn baby, turn and burn," Willier responded.
Burning homes Cai owned, the judge found, was an effort by Shah intended to intimidate her and drive down property prices.
Willier described the scheme to the undercover officers and pointed out properties he claimed to have burned while they drove him around north Edmonton neighbourhoods. Willier also expressed willingness to continue starting fires as a means to profit on property flips.
"Cai was a motivated seller because her properties kept burning down," Whitling said.
"The accused could then stop burning them down … allowing them to be sold at a higher price."
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