Attempted murder charges against Afshin Maleki Ighani have been dropped and new charges laid due to two unrelated stabbings.
Ighani was accused of shooting Thomas Szajko in Oliver on April 19 in the area of Station Street. Szajko, who RCMP said knew Ighani, suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot injury during the incident.
Related: Attempted murder charge up in the air after victim’s death
Szajko died in his home on Dec. 1 of unspecified causes. The Crown has decided not to pursue those charges anymore, due to a lack of evidence and testimony.
The Crown will no longer be pursuing charges of attempted murder against Afshin Maleki Ighani, after gunshot victim Thomas Szajko died of unrelated causes this month.
— Dustin Godfrey 📰 (@dustinrgodfrey) December 18, 2017
Ighani still faces several other charges over the alleged kidnapping of a woman, also dating back to April. At the time a Canada-wide warrant was issued for Ighani, who was tracked down near Princeton by a police dog services and arrested. An RCMP helicopter traced the alleged victim’s cell phone location helping determine Ighani’s whereabouts.
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The complainant in that matter and another key witness, both of whom had been subpoenaed for a court appearance, were not present for a preliminary inquiry in court Monday morning.
A material witness warrant has been issued for those two related to the kidnapping and other charges Ighani still faces. Witnesses reportedly were hesitant to testify on the matter.
Ighani is expected to stand trial by a Supreme Court judge on that matter, with the preliminary inquiry pushed to the judicial case manager to find a new date to continue the hearing with the witnesses.
More charges have been laid against Ighani related to an alleged stabbing at the Okanagan Correctional Centre.
Related: Second lawsuit this week filed against jail
One small claims lawsuit, filed by inmate David James McHale alleges he was assaulted on Sept. 9. In his notice of claim he identified the other inmate as ‘Gagne Ighani.’ McHale said he is a protective custody inmate and was sitting in the unit yard with two other inmates when, unknown to the inmates, an officer forgot to lock the yard door when he left to serve brunch.
“After a few minutes, the door opened and inmate Ighani burst in. He looked around and focused on me. He came towards me, and proceeded to stab at me with a sharp shank and punch my head,” said McHale in his notice of claim, where he also states he suffered cuts to his hands, arm and shirt before the officer returned.
For that incident, Ighani is facing one count of assault with a weapon and one count of assault causing bodily harm.
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Ighani is facing the same two charges for an alleged assault on Peter Beckett that same day.
Just days after that incident, on Sept. 16, Beckett was found guilty of first degree murder for drowning his wife, Laura Letts-Beckett in Upper Arrow Lake near Revelstoke.
Beckett is now serving a life sentence with no parole eligibility for 25 years in a federal prison.