VANCOUVER — The first-degree murder trial of a former Kamloops, British Columbia lawyer accused of killing his client has concluded in the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver.
Rogelio “Butch” Bagabuyo is accused of killing Mohd Abdullah, a lecturer at Thompson Rivers University, on March 11, 2022.
Justice Kathleen Ker told the court Thursday, after completing closing arguments and rebuttals, that she believed it was appropriate to rule in Kamloops, where Abdullah was killed.
The court heard Abdullah hired the then lawyer in 2016 and they conspired to hide the money during Abdullah's separation from his wife, but Bagabuyo spent more than $780,000 funneled to him.
Crown prosecutor Anne Catherine Sattler said in closing arguments that the defendant had methodically planned the murder for more than a week after he realized he could no longer deceive Abdullah, who was growing increasingly impatient by the day to get his money back.
Defense lawyer Mark Schwartz said the death was “unexpected” and while his client admits he killed Abdullah in his office, it was manslaughter.
Bagabuyo was arrested on March 18, 2022, a day after the body was discovered inside a bag by the grandson of an unsuspecting friend, whom he entrusted to rent a van and help find a place to bury the bag.
Bagabuyo was initially charged with desecration of human remains and then, more than a year later, charged with first-degree murder.
The Law Society of British Columbia says he is no longer a lawyer.
Bagabuyo has been on bail since July 12, 2023.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2025.
