Accused's actions after Vancouver double-murder should leave no doubt as to guilt, Crown argues

Crown makes final arguments in murder case Prosecutors addressed a jury in Vancouver one last time, arguing for a conviction in a case that saw an innocent teen killed.

With one last chance to address the jury, Crown prosecutors argued that Kane Carter's actions after two people were killed in Vancouver should leave them with no doubt he was the person who fired the fatal gunshots.

Carter, 28, is charged with the second-degree murders of 15-year-old Alfred Wong – an innocent passerby – and 23-year-old Kevin Whiteside – an alleged gang member – as well as the aggravated assault of Shaiful Khondoker, another innocent bystander who was shot, but survived.

On Jan. 13, 2018, Wong, a Coquitlam high school student, was in the back seat of his family's car. The teen was caught in the crossfire of a reckless gunfight on East Broadway near Ontario Street.

At first, police believed Whiteside was the target of the shooting, but they later said he was the one who instigated the deadly violence.

The Crown said on the night of the murders, Whiteside was in the area to kill 28-year-old Matthew Navas-Rivas, who was dining out at Indochine restaurant.

Prosecutors believe Carter was working in a ‘middle management’ role for a dial-a-dope operation run by Navas-Rivas under the alias ‘Elijah’, and was parked nearby that night to stand guard in case anything went wrong.

When Navas-Rivas left the restaurant, Whiteside reportedly shot at him; that’s when the Crown believes Carter fired the fatal bullets.

The Crown reminded the jury that they were presented with evidence that Carter changed his phone number the following day, and that he admits he flew to Ontario a week later.

“We say this is yet another example of Mr. Carter actively taking steps to distance himself from the shootings,” said Crown Prosecutor Dan Blumenkrans.

Recordings of phone calls Carter made from various prisons were also played for a second time for jurors, including one from the Central East Correctional Centre in Ontario in June of 2019 while he was incarcerated for a separate offence.

The Crown says the call was made the day after Vancouver police officers travelled to the prison to interview Carter.

During one portion of the call Carter is heard saying, “They don’t have no eyewitnesses, nobody to point me out at the scene, they don’t have no video of me slapping nothing,” he can be heard telling an unknown man.

An expert witness in street language and lingo testified that ‘slapping’ meant shooting.

“He’s not saying I didn’t do it or I wasn’t there,” said Blumenkrans.

“He’s essentially saying the police don’t have proof that I did it,” he continued.

“Wouldn’t you expect that in some form he’d deny he’s the shooter in these calls?” Blumenkrans asked the jury

The burgundy van

Earlier in the trial, a former customer turned worker for the drug line testified about the inner workings of the operation.

That included the use of a burgundy, Pontiac Montana van for drug deliveries.

The man said that on the day of the murders, he was driving the van when he received a call from Elijah, who told him to return the vehicle immediately.

The jury was shown video of a van of the same make and model parked on Ontario Street south of East Broadway at the time of the shootings.

Crown believes it was from that van that Carter fired the shots that killed Wong and Whiteside.

Investigators later found a burgundy, Pontiac Montana van in the parking garage of the Surrey condo building where the Crown says Carter was renting a unit under his brother’s name.

A burgundy van seen at the murder scene and a burgundy van of the same make and model found at Kane Carter's condo are the same vehicle, the Crown argues.

Carter has admitted that both a tissue with his blood on it, as well his DNA, were found inside the van in the parking garage.

A Vancouver police officer testified that three bullet casings, as well as gun residue were also found inside the vehicle.

Crown also pointed out that there were "identical" physical features of the van seen by the crime scene and the one found in the parking garage.

That included a dimmed headlight, a green new driver sticker on the back, and a black rim on the back left tire that didn’t match the others.

The defense will have its turn to address the jury on Thursday.