Alleged gangster Conor D鈥橫onte has given up his legal challenges to being deported from the United States back to Canada, where he will face charges for a 2009 Langley murder.
D鈥橫onte鈥檚 Canadian lawyers released a statement from him the week of Jan. 24, saying that he looks forward to coming back to B.C.
鈥淭oday, I have made the decision to forego further legal proceedings in Puerto Rico, in the hope that now, thirteen years later, I will be allowed what would not have been possible then, a fair and just trial,鈥� the statement said.
It did not explain why a fair trial would not have been possible in 2011.
A U.S. Department of Justice staffer confirmed that D鈥橫onte withdrew his habeas petition, which was part of his fight against extradition.
It was unknown exactly when D鈥橫onte would be transported back to Canada. The U.S. government does not comment on the timing of potential extradition surrenders due to safety concerns for the police officers escorting prisoners.
Identified as a high-level member of the UN Gang, D鈥橫onte disappeared from Canada after 2011, when he was charged with first degree murder in the death of Kevin LeClair. LeClair was gunned down in a crowded Walnut Grove shopping centre parking lot while bystanders scrambled for cover.
D鈥橫onte is also facing charges of conspiracy to kill the Bacon Brothers.
Persons charged with a criminal offence are considered not guilty until the charges are proven in court.
A dozen other UN Gang members have been convicted over the intervening years of various crimes related to the ongoing gang war and drug trade, including Cory Vallee, who was the shooter in the slaying of LeClair.
READ MORE:
After being on the run for more than a decade, D鈥橫onte was arrested in February 2022 in Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States in the Caribbean.
He had been working with a non-profit called Karma Honey Project and had been working on local projects like a Christmas toy drive. He had met with local politicians about efforts to save honeybees.
In his public statement, D鈥橫onte said he felt 鈥渃ompelled to address the narratives publicly circulating regarding the legal challenges I currently face.鈥�
He referred to lies about him being spread on social media.
鈥淚 left Canada thirteen years ago, not to avoid trial and run from this allegation, but to escape certain threats, putting the lives of my young children and family in extreme danger,鈥� D鈥橫onte鈥檚 statement said.
He said he has spent the past decade living a 鈥渜uiet, productive life鈥� working to build farm and community centre projects.
D鈥橫onte also apologized to the volunteers and supporters of the non-profits for the harmful media attention he has brought.
