Butch Bagabuyo leaving Kamloops Law Courts on April 24, 2025. (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

MURDER TRIAL

Surveillance video of homicide victim’s final hours examined in seventh day of Bagabuyo murder trial

Apr 24, 2025 | 5:48 PM

KAMLOOPS — Proceedings on Thursday (April 24) in a first-degree murder trial for Rogelio (Butch) Bagabuyo related to the killing of a Thompson Rivers University lecturer examined extensive video evidence showing the final hours of Mohd Abdullah’s life.

The only witness called was Kamloops RCMP Cpl. David Marshall, who has made several appearances to answer questions about video evidence presented.

The compilation shown at the start of proceedings Thursday opened with a view of a transit bus approaching a bus stop at TRU on the afternoon of March 11, 2022, with a man identified as Abdullah getting on the bus and finding a seat.

Crown lawyer Ann Katrine Saettler asked and Marshall confirmed the video from the inside of the bus indicates Abdullah was traveling alone, and that he did not interact with other passengers on the bus.

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Abdullah remained on the bus for several stops before disembarking at 3 p.m. at a stop along Third Avenue in downtown Kamloops. Another video clip showed Abdullah walking north along Third Avenue before crossing Seymour Street and turning east onto the 300-block of Victoria Street.

Cpl. Marshall notes the end of the video compilation of Abdullah walking toward Bagabuyo’s law office marks the last images police have of Abdullah alive.

After a short break, Cpl. Marshall returned to the stand to answer questions about surveillance video from the inside of the Kamloops Home Depot on March 1, 2022.

Marshall identified the man in the video as Bagabuyo, who is seen bringing a large, black Husky-brand tote with a red lid to the check-out till and paying in cash for the item.

He said another video of a March 10, 2022, trip to Home Depot showed Bagabuyo buying a cart of items, again paying in cash.

The final video clip in the Home Depot series showed a man again identified by Cpl. Marshall as Bagabuyo returning to the store on the evening of March 10.

He is seen bringing another 45-litre black Husky-brand tote with a red lid to the till, paying for it in cash.

The trial so far…

Opening statements made by Crown prosecution earlier in the trial allege that Abdullah was killed at Bagabuyo’s office, where the two men had previously arranged to have a meeting.

Bagabuyo was Abdullah’s lawyer for several years and it’s alleged during the end of Abdullah’s marriage in 2016 that he and Abdullah had arranged to move a portion of Abdullah’s money to keep more than $700,000 out of the settlement with his ex-wife.

Crown statements described how after Abdullah’s wife passed away, he sought out Bagabuyo to get his money back. However, the prosecution’s statement claims the funds were no longer there, mentioning forensic accounts indicated it had been spent on Bagabuyo’s personal living expenses.

Expert witness testimony and evidence relating to what happened to Abdullah’s money have not yet been presented in trial proceedings.

A brief mention of Abdullah’s autopsy made by the Crown during opening statements last week claimed Abdullah was killed after being stabbed in the chest and neck area several times.

Wednesday’s proceedings (April 23) largely focused on the actions of Bagabuyo on the day of Abdullah’s murder and showed several video clips of Bagabuyo that had been included in the Admissions of Fact.

The lengthy series of surveillance videos showed Bagabuyo driving in the downtown area on March 11, 2022, including later in the afternoon when his Black Honda Pilot was seen parking on Victoria Street just down from his law office.

Bagabuyo was captured on video carrying large black garbage bags down Victoria Street and putting them into his vehicle. He was then seen hauling a large black storage tote with a red lid to his SUV, struggling to fit it in the vehicle and receiving help from a passerby to load the bin.

According to the timeline presented by Crown prosecution, on March 15, 2022, Bagabuyo asked an elderly friend to help him rent a van and dispose of the storage tote.

March 15, 2022 is the same day Kamloops RCMP missing persons co-ordinator Const. Kim Lucas told prosecution she called Bagabuyo to ask him about his client, Abdullah, who had been reported missing.

Wynand Rautenbach previously testified that he had agreed to help Bagabuyo after the two men had gone for coffee that day, and that he wasn’t aware of the contents of the tote. The van was rented in Rautenbach’s name on March 15, 2022, and he was listed as the sole driver of it.

March 16, 2022 was cited as the day Rautenbach and Bagabuyo allegedly spent trying to find a place to bury the box and logged more than 600 kilometres of driving around the Kamloops region. They were unsuccessful in finding a place to dispose of the bin.

The following evening on March 17, 2022, Rautenbach’s grandson, Justin Robertson, testified that he’d grown suspicious about what his grandfather had been asked to do and looked in the van and the storage tote.

That is when Robertson says he saw a leg and a foot, which prompted his 9-1-1 phone call, and a large police presence at the Dufferin home the van was parked in front of.

None of the allegations has been proven in court.

What’s next…

Thursday was adjourned after the morning session with proceedings set to resume again on Monday (April 28) at the Kamloops Law Courts.