A mistrial has been declared in the first-degree murder trial of a former Devils Army president accused of shooting a man in the back of the head in the basement of the group’s clubhouse in Campbell River.
Richard Ernest Alexander, 65, was charged in the death of 30-year-old John Dillon Brown from Saanich on March 11, 2016. Brown’s body was found the next day in the trunk of his car near Sayward, 75 kilometres north of Campbell River.
There is a ban on publication of B.C. Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Gaul’s reasons for the mistrial, so that a future jury won’t hear the information before it could become evidence.
Defence lawyer Richard Neary said Alexander is relieved at what has happened “given the circumstances.”
“It was our application, and the trial couldn’t continue in light of developments.”
Neary said he won’t be acting as defence counsel in future proceedings because he’ll be taking family time with the upcoming birth of his fourth child.
The trial had been scheduled for four weeks. A new trial date has not been set.
Crown prosecutor Lorne Phipps said in his opening statement at the trial that Alexander drove the car with Brown’s body to the Sayward area and left it there.
The Crown said Brown’s killing was linked to a November fight in Campbell River’s Voodoo Lounge where Brown was pitted against a Devils Army member and visiting members of the Hells Angels. Phipps said the Devils Army is a support club for the Hells Angels.
Phipps said that Brown, a competitive amateur mixed-martial arts fighter, “held his own” against the group but ended up with injuries. His former partner, Nicole Herman, said the injuries included facial bruises and a swollen jaw.
Brown had planned to sue the Voodoo Lounge, but Alexander contacted him in an effort to resolve the situation out of court, Phipps said.
Herman said Brown was trying to recoup medical expenses and other costs related to the fight.
Michael Behm, who was involved in the Voodoo Club’s ownership from 1999 to 2018, said he gave Brown a video of the fight but wasn’t aware a lawsuit had been filed until he was interviewed by the police after Brown’s death.
