(Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

TROY GOLD HOMICIDE

RCMP investigation into Gold homicide not over, despite 5 arrests made

Oct 20, 2019 | 2:26 PM

KAMLOOPS — After nearly a year-long investigation, yesterday (Oct. 19), Kamloops RCMP revealed 5 suspects had been arrested in relation to the 2018 homicide of 35-year-old Troy Gold.

23-year-old Nathan Anthony Townsend, 24-year-old Jayden Michael Eustache, 44-year-old Darian Fredick Rohel, 38-year old John Wade Daviss, and 46-year-old Sean Gavril Scurt were all taken into custody between Friday (Oct. 18), and Saturday (Oct. 19).

All face second degree murder charges in relation to the homicide death of Troy Gold – whose remains were discovered in the Lac Du Bois grasslands in November 2018, over a month after he initially went missing.

( https://cfjctoday.com/2019/10/19/five-men-arrested-and-charged-with-murder-in-connection-to-troy-gold-homicide/ )

While the arrests do mark progress made by Kamloops RCMP’s Serious Crime Unit, the head of that unit – Staff Sgt. Simon Pillay says their investigative work is not over.

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“We do believe that there are other people out there that could have jeopardy in this investigation, or could have information, which is why we are appealing to the public,” Pillay told CFJC Today. “We do consider the investigation open and ongoing, and there’s always leads to follow, especially in these complex investigations. But that’s really all we’re prepared to say on that topic at this time.”

One of the accused, Nathan Townsend, was an associate of Konaam Shirzad, the co-founder of the Red Scorpions gang who was gunned down in September 2017, however Pillay says this homicide investigation does not really pertain to the Red Scorpions.

“I know it’s been reported historically that at least one of them has been known to be aligned with the Red Scorpions, but that wasn’t a factor in this investigation.”

When asked if these arrests would shake up the organized crime situation within the city, similar to the chain of violent events after Shirzad’s death, Pillay says he doesn’t see that happening with this situation.

“It’s very difficult to associate the causation in these situations. I can tell you in the time I’ve been investigating these groups in Kamloops, we’ve seen times where there is competition between lines and that leads to violence, and that there is competition within the same line and that leads to violence,” He explains, “None of these people are going to leave a void of anything. I would not describe anybody of this group as having any type of real leadership role in the drug trade here. For lack of a better term, they are fairly average participants at the lower end of the scale. So do I think that this is comparable to the type of changes we would see after the murder you referenced? No, I don’t think so at all.”

However, Pillay notes that given the size of the criminal scene in Kamloops, five people being charged with murder will shake up the community somewhat.

“Unfortunately though, what we typically see in all cities in Canada is that although you can make a dent in the organized crime scene, the impact is very difficult to measure,” explains Pillay, “I hope that here there is a move away from violence, and this is what we’re trying to achieve as police officers by focusing on the most violent drug traffickers and drug groups in our community. But it’s very difficult to say what the long term outlook will be.”