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Lower Mainland gang members charged in murder of B.C. volunteer firefighter

Men set to appear for a bail hearing in Kelowna court April 18

Two B.C. gang members have been arrested and charged in the 2021 murder of Naramata’s Kathy Richardson.

Jalen Falk and Ekene Anigbo were taken into custody last week and have been charged with murder.

They next appear in Kelowna court for a bail hearing on April 18.

Anigbo’s mug shot appeared in the media in May 2021 warning the public that he was involved in the ongoing gang war and would pose a danger to the public.

A few days later on May 21, 2021, CFSEU-BC’s Uniform Gang Enforcement Team were conducting patrols in the Richmond area when they noticed a male and female exiting a local establishment. Officers quickly recognized the male as being an individual involved in the ongoing Lower Mainland Gang Conflict and as Anigbo.

The pair were detained for investigation when officers located a loaded handgun.

Both were arrested for firearms related offences and later released pending further investigation.

Police found Richardson dead in her home one month later on June 9, 2021.

That same spring, Richardson’s son Wade Cudmore had been arrested and charged in the murders of the Fryer brothers from Kamloops whose bodies were found on a forest service road in Naramata that May in 2021.

Cudmore’s co-accused, 35-year-old Anthony Graham, is still wanted by police and at large. A missing person report that didn’t disclose his charges was issued by Prince George RCMP in November 2021.

After multiple delays to arrange the trial, Cudmore is set to be tried by judge and jury in Kelowna’s Supreme Court starting June 3, 2024.

Three months have been set aside for the trial.

The trial was moved out of Penticton’s courts due to the complexity of the case.

READ MORE: Double murder trial set for summer 2024

Richardson was a volunteer firefighter with the Naramata fire department and a hair dresser who worked out of her home.

READ MORE: Condolences pour in for murder victim Kathy Richardson

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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