Testimony continues at Calgary Bolsa murder trial

The informant known as M.M. told a Calgary court room Wednesday that he had told police in November 2008 about the plans to kidnap Aaron Bendle, use him as bait and kill Sanjeev Mann in rival gang revenge plot.

Mann, Bendle and bystander Keni Su’a were murdered in January 2009 at the Bolsa Restaurant located in southeast Calgary.

Also known as the "fifth man," M.M.’s identity is protected by a court order. His ongoing testimony is for the Calgary court hearing of Nathan Zuccherato and Michael Roberto, who are on trial for three charges of first degree murder.

Prior to M.M. taking the stand, Det. Gavin Walker, who was assigned to handle the informant, testified he had been working with police. M.M. said he was going to wear a wire and play an active role in helping police "bring down my group of friends in exchange for help turning my life around."

The informant, however, did not wear a wire but did admit playing a role in kidnapping Bendle and then burning the clothes and evidence after the shooting that he implicates the defendants Zuccherato and Roberto in.

Zuccherato's lawyer Alain Hepner asked M.M. why he didn’t call Walker before participating in the events leading up to the murders.

M.M. replied that while he might be an accomplice, he didn't pull the trigger, and he was scared to make the call to police.

He had told the court on Tuesday that shooting down Mann at the Bolsa restaurant in January 2009 was revenge for the killing rival gang member Roger Chin six months earlier.

The exchange was part of an escalating, violent feud between two rival groups — Fresh Off the Boat (FOB) and FOB Killers (FK).

As a close business associate to Zuccherato and Roberto, M.M. testified that the group had made a plan to "kidnap Aaron, set up Sanj Mann, kill him and kill Aaron after."

M.M. also detailed the overnight kidnapping of Bendle, who worked for Mann. He said the kidnappers then used Bendle’s phone to set up a meeting with Mann and once both were inside the restaurant gunmen went in to execute them.

He also described watching from an adjacent parking lot as a man, later identified as Su’a, was chased out of the restaurant and shot down. M.M. identified the chaser as Roberto in court.

The trial in front of Court of Queen's Bench Justice Earl Wilson and a jury of seven men and five women is expected to take up to a month.

Two others have been charged with the murders and will appear in court at a later date.