UN gangster pleads to conspiracy and manslaughter aimed at Red Scorpion gang

By

VANCOUVER – A senior member of the United Nations gang has pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder the Bacon brothers, the infamous leaders of a rival B.C. gang.

Daniel Russell, 32, also pleaded guilty Tuesday in B.C. Supreme Court to a charge of manslaughter for a fatal shooting in 2008.

He will be sentenced Friday at 10 a.m. by Associate Chief Justice Austin Cullen, who imposed a sweeping publication ban on the sentencing hearing.

Prosecutor Ralph Keefer and defence lawyer Len Doust made a joint submission on what sentence should be imposed, but it cannot be reported.

Russell, who has been in custody since his arrest in 2009, admitted in his plea that he conspired between Jan. 1, 2008 and Feb. 17, 2009, to kill rivals Jonathan Bacon, James Bacon and Jarrod Bacon and their Red Scorpions gang associates.

He also admitted to manslaughter for his role in the fatal shooting of Jonathan Barber on May 9, 2008.

Barber, a stereo installer, was driving a Porsche along a Vancouver street in Burnaby and was killed when the vehicle was sprayed by bullets.

The vehicle was reportedly owned by Red Scorpions gang member Jamie Bacon. The murder was a case of mistaken identity.

Barber’s girlfriend, who was following in Barber’s vehicle, was also wounded by automatic gunfire.

Barber’s parents, Mary and Michael Barber, who were in court Tuesday for the full-day sentencing hearing, said they are glad the case is almost over.

“It’s been a very painful four years, almost five,” Michael Barber said outside court.

“The work that’s gone on is unbelievable,” he said of the efforts of police and prosecutors. “They’ve been very diligent.”

Barber added: “We moved here for peace and comfort from back east and this should have never happened.”

Two men accused of playing a key role in Barber’s murder— Conor D’ Monte and Cory Vallee — were charged but have not been located by police.

Russell stood up in court and addressed the judge at the end of Tuesday’s hearing, but what he said cannot be reported.

UN gang founder Clay Roueche is serving a 30-year sentence for cocaine trafficking in the U.S.

Jamie Bacon is facing trial for conspiracy to commit murder in relation to the Surrey Six murders in October 2007.

His brother Jonathan was fatally shot in Kelowna in 2011, and Jarrod Bacon is currently serving 12 years in prison for cocaine trafficking.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today