Former 'good friend' testifies Jamie Bacon ordered man's death

A key Crown witness in the case against James Kyle Bacon says Bacon, his "good friend," ordered an associate killed in 2008, and he was there for the planning and execution of the failed hit.

Bacon was charged in 2014 with counselling an associate to commit murder.

He's accused of counselling others to kill Dennis Karbovanec who was shot in Mission on Dec. 31, 2008 — but survived.

On Thursday, a man who can only be identified as AB testified in B.C. Supreme Court there was a plan to kill Karbovanec.

Bacon allegedly 'ordered' kill

He said that plan involved staging a marijuana grow-op rip with four other men and that Bacon "was the one who ordered it."

AB's real identity is protected by a sweeping court-ordered set of publication bans to protect witnesses.

AB said Bacon called Karbovanec a "scumbag," and accused the associate of ripping off OxyContin for personal use.

Bacon felt that Karbovanec was attracting unwanted police attention, said AB.

"[Bacon] explained to me what he wanted done and I said I wasn't really interested in that," AB told court. "Jamie said it would be better if Dennis was not around."

AB testified that, while he did not shoot or participate, he was there with four other men in Mission the night of the attempt on Karbovanec's life.

"I seen (them) firing and trying to kill Dennis Karbovanec." 

He described the gun used as a "small, mini-Glock."

Drugs delivered 'like pizza'

The witness described his years as a mid-level dial-a-dope drug dealer who helped source and deliver, "like pizza," everything from marijuana and steroids to cocaine and crack.

The witness said he dealt drugs and was once good friends with Bacon.

He said he'd known Karbovanec for a long time and described him as an enforcer.

"He'd take care of any problems that needed to be sorted out on the street and any violent aspect of it," said AB Thursday morning.

But the witness said there were concerns in his world if anybody started attracting too much police attention — something to be avoided, resulting in a person being described as a "heat bag" or a "heat score."

He outlined to the jury all the methods his associates used to keep a low profile and avoid getting caught.

He said that dealers used prepaid burner phones, never talked in cars and used a lot of hand signals — such as a hand mimicking a gun for the word gun or a thumb drawn across the throat to symbolize wanting to have a person killed.

He said that Bacon would even use an erasable white board to write messages — to avoid verbalizing anything criminal.

That board was then wiped, AB explained. He said that he and Bacon even had a D-shaped hand symbol for Karbovanec.

The trial which began in early February is expected to last 10 weeks.