Majority of 26 homicides in Vancouver and Surrey this year remain unsolved

Homicide investigators continue to try to piece together how and why more than two dozen people were murdered in B.C.'s two most populous cities in 2023, with victims including a 17-year-old stabbed to death on a bus, another stabbed in front of a busy downtown coffee shop, and another alleged to be the target of India's government.

In Vancouver over the past year, 13 men were killed, while the gender of a 14th victim remains undisclosed by investigators.

Of the 14 homicides, charges have only been laid in two.

"A homicide is one of the most serious crimes that the VPD investigates and each one is heavily resourced to ensure that police are able to collect the best evidence possible," said Const. Tania Visintin in an email to CBC News.

Inderdeep Singh Gosal, 32, was charged with second-degree murder in relation to the death of 37-year-old Paul Stanley Schmidt, who died following a bloody confrontation in March outside a busy Starbucks at Granville and Pender streets.

The death was witnessed by many people who happened to be in the area on the late Sunday afternoon. It was also shared on social media, sparking public concern about the state of crime and violence in the city's downtown core.

Paul Schmidt, who was killed outside a Vancouver coffee shop in March, holds his daughter, whose face is blurred. (Submitted by Kathy Schmidt)

Jaal Routh Kueth, 30, was charged with second-degree murder in relation to the Feb. 5 stabbing death of 32-year-old Nikolai Sugakthe in Chinatown, following a five-week investigation by police.

At the time, VPD said the violence caused "significant concern about crime and public safety in the neighbourhood," in part because the two men did not know each other and had no previous interactions.

Homicides in Vancouver in 2023 also include two men killed within four hours of each other in near-opposite ends of the city in late May.

Mystery homicide

Not listed among news releases from VPD about violent deaths in the city is one from July 10, which is referenced among the force's data and statistical summaries.

Visintin acknowledged the homicide in an email to CBC News, but offered no details about it.

"This incident is still under investigation and no information is being released at this time," she wrote.

The average age of Vancouver's homicide victims this year was 33, with the youngest being 20 and the oldest 44.

In 2022, there were 13 homicides in Vancouver, in 2021 there were 18 and in 2020, there were 21, according to stats from VPD.

'As long as it takes,' says IHIT about solving Surrey homicides

By comparison, in Surrey, there have been 12 homicides so far in 2023, compared to 22 in 2022 and 10 in 2021.

People chant outside the Consulate General of India office in Vancouver during a protest on June 24 concerning the shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)

Perhaps most notable was the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was slain at a gurdwara on 120 Street on June 18.

The fallout from the homicide has evolved into a test of international relations between Canada and India, following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's accusation the government of India was involved in the killing of the Canadian Sikh leader.

The average age of people killed in Surrey in 2023 is older than Vancouver at 42. Two victims were 58, representing the oldest, while the youngest was 17.

That victim was Ethan Bespflug.

Ethan Bespflug was killed April 11 in Surrey after taking a bus to meet his mother at King George Station. (Ethan Bespflug/Facebook)

His family said he was riding a public bus to meet his mother at King George Station on April 11 when he texted that some other people got on the bus and were threatening him.

Police said there was an "altercation" between two people riding a TransLink bus and later announced second-degree murder charges against Kaiden Mintenko, 20. Police have yet to disclose a motive for the death, which resulted in an outpouring of grief and emotion from Bespflug's family and community.

The RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigations Team (IHIT) takes the lead on homicide investigations in Surrey.

Murder-suicide results in 3 deaths

So far this year, 10 men have been victims of homicides in Surrey, along with two women.

The two female victims include Tiffany Li, 56, who died in an apparent murder suicide along with her husband, Leo Li, 58 and their adult son, Daniel Li, 24 on Jan. 9.

Other than the charges against Mintenko, charges have been laid in only two other homicides in Surrey.

Thirty-one-year-old Parminder Singh Brar and 21-year-old Simarpal Singh are facing second-degree murder charges in relation to the death of an unnamed 55-year-old man on Aug. 18 in the 10100-block of King George Boulevard.

Robb Memory, 56, was the victim of a homicide in Surrey on Aug. 27. (B.C. RCMP)

Nine days later, 56-year-old Robb Memory was killed in the 19100-block 68 Avenue. Second-degree murder charges were brought against 42-year-old Paul Martin of Surrey four days later.

"Robb was a caring and generous person. The family appreciates the hard work and dedication of IHIT," said Robb's father, Cecil Memory as part of a release from RCMP.

Sgt. Timothy Pierotti, who speaks for IHIT, said, like Vancouver, there is no set or average time it takes to solve a murder.

"Any estimated timeline would only give unrealistic expectations to families and members of the public," he said in an email to CBC News.

"What I can say is that IHIT remains dedicated to investigations for as long as it takes."