Murder conviction, sentencing stands in Surrey 6 slayings
Published 3:57 pm Thursday, August 27, 2026
One of the men convicted in the 2007 Surrey Six slayings will remain behind bars and continue his life sentences.
On Aug. 27 in Vancouver, Justice Martha Devlin delivered her reasons for judgment against Cody Rae Haevischer’s application to have the judge declare a judicial stay of proceedings on the grounds of abuse of process.
Six people were shot dead in Suite 1505 of the Balmoral Tower in Whalley on Oct. 19, 2007. The Crown’s theory was that the killings were payback for an unpaid debt between rival gangs. Christopher Mohan and Abbotsford gasfitter Ed Shellenberg, 55, were innocent victims who accidentally stumbled upon a drug hit in progress. Edward Sousakhone Narong, 22, Ryan Bartolomeo, 19, and brothers Michael Justin Lal, 26, and Corey Jason Michael Lal, 21, were also slain.
Devlin noted Haevischer “participated” in the gang violence that was plaguing the Lower Mainland nearly 20 years ago.
“His commission and complicity in one of the most notorious incidents of gang violence in British Columbia’s history has brought him before the courts. Since his arrest, Mr. Haevischer has engaged in a lengthy trial, a prolonged appeal process, and an evidentiary hearing spanning nearly two years. During that time he has had every conceivable opportunity to advance an application for a stay of proceedings,” she said.
Matthew Johnston was also found guilty of six counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and joined Haevischer in the stay of proceedings application but has since died.
Devlin stated in her reasons, “The ultimate question in this case is whether, despite Mr. Haevischer’s guilt for the Surrey Six murders and the conspiracy that inspired them, the proceedings against him should be stayed. Mr. Haevischer alleges that while investigating and prosecuting the murders, state actors—including the police, correctional authorities, and the Crown—engaged in conduct amounting to an abuse of process. He submits that the alleged abuses, viewed cumulatively, render this case among those clearest of cases in which a stay of proceedings is warranted. Alternatively, he says this case warrants an unprecedented reduction in his sentence, from a sentence of life imprisonment to a fixed sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment.”
Devlin stated that after a years-long application process, “Haevischer’s allegations simply have no merit.”
“Some do not stand up to evidentiary scrutiny, others complain of decisions made by state actors which are unobjectionable, and others still contemplate conduct that, although troubling or problematic, does not constitute or contribute to an abuse of process. The remaining aspects of his application which do rise to the level of an abuse of process do not satisfy the ‘clearest of cases’ standard which must be met for a stay of proceedings. I have therefore concluded that Mr. Haevischer’s application must be dismissed. Any other outcome, in my view, would not serve to protect the integrity of our justice system; anything but an affirmation of his convictions and sentence would greatly imperil it.”
Devlin affirmed the six concurrent life sentences with no eligibility for parole for 25 years that Haevischer received on Dec. 12, 2014.
-With files from Tom Zytaruk