BURST
A Lower Mainland man is facing two murder charges in connection with slayings in Vancouver and Surrey in 2022 and 2023.
Nahom Gizaw, 21, was arrested May 8 in east Vancouver. He remains in custody.
The Vancouver Police Department and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team launched a joint investigation two years ago after links were made to the suspect.
Gizaw is accused of killing Maanav Kinkar, 18, who was found dead on May 26, 2022, at Hazelnut Meadows Park in Surrey.
And he is charged with the fatal stabbing of Caleb Morin, 22, on March 3, 2022, at a residence near Boundary Road and East 45th Avenue in Vancouver.
The victims had no connection, but the evidence collected by both agencies pointed to the same suspect, VPD Const. Tania Visintin said.
“Our teams worked diligently and in close partnership to solve these crimes and provide closure to the victims’ families and our communities,” she said. “While these homicides were not connected, the cooperation between our agencies led to the evidence we needed to make this arrest.”
Gizaw was arrestedp near East 29th Avenue and Rupert Street. Both counts are second-degree murder.
“The charge approval stage is a significant milestone,” IHIT Sgt. Freda Fong said. “Our success was due to the collaboration between the VPD and IHIT whose investigators worked tirelessly to maintain the integrity of the joint investigation.”
More to come …
Related