Watch: BC Hells Angel appeals convictions for murder plot based on video evidence

Larry Amero, a member of the Hells Angels, has filed an appeal of his convictions and 18-year sentence for his involvement in two 2012 gangland murder plots. Crown prosecutors have also appealed, seeking a life sentence for Amero. The appeals likely won’t be heard until 2025, and a case management conference is scheduled for April 16. Amero’s lawyers argue that the judge made errors during his trial, including the consideration of Charter violations and allowing highly prejudicial evidence before the jury.

During the trial, Amero was convicted of conspiring to kill rival gangsters Sandip Duhre and Sukh Dhak in 2011 and 2012. Duhre was killed in the lobby of Vancouver’s Sheraton Wall Centre in 2012, while Dhak was shot to death in Burnaby later that year. Amero’s legal team claims that the judge made mistakes in allowing certain evidence and should have granted Amero a separate trial from his co-accused, Rabih (Robby) Alkhalil. They also argue that Amero’s charges should have been stayed due to delays in the case.

Prosecutors have also filed an appeal, arguing that the judge erred in not giving Amero a harsher sentence. They claim that the sentence should be set aside and a life sentence imposed instead. At trial, it was revealed that the gangland murder plots were in retaliation for a shooting in Kelowna in 2011 that left Amero’s friend Jonathan Bacon dead. The Crown relied on incriminating messages found on encrypted devices in a Montreal penthouse shared by Amero and Alkhalil, linking them to the murder plots.

Video surveillance footage from the Sheraton Wall Centre before and after Duhre’s murder was a key part of the evidence presented at trial. The footage shows Duhre and his friend entering the hotel lobby as members of the Cuban women’s soccer team mill around. Alkhalil and Riach can be seen inside the lobby, and the shooter is captured walking through the same door that Duhre entered. While the actual shooting is not on video, the aftermath shows people running for their lives. The appeals in Amero’s case will be heard in the coming years, with both sides seeking different outcomes for his convictions and sentence.