Minto homicide victim was member of Bacchus motorcycle club
Victim of homicide appeared in court three years ago on drugs and weapons charges
A recent homicide victim in the Minto area was described in court three years ago as a member of the Bacchus motorcycle club.
The body of Ronald Richard, 50, was found Sunday on a rural property in Hardwood Ridge, near Minto.
His former lawyer, Rodney MacDonald, confirmed he was the Ronald Richard who'd appeared in court on drugs and weapons charges.
"I don't want to talk about Ronnie," said MacDonald, who represented Richard in 2014. "I'm sorry about the passing of my client."
RCMP Const. Isabelle Beaulieu wouldn't comment on Richard's death or the charges from three years ago.
The RCMP said in a news release Monday they do not believe the homicide was random, but they haven't provided any other details to the public or arrested anyone.
In December 2014, Richard was charged with possession of drugs, weapons and prohibited weapons. He was convicted of possession of benzylpiperazine, a drug known as BZP, and possession of marijuana over 30 grams.
At the time, he was described as a member of the Bacchus motorcycle club, a New Brunswick-based club affiliated with Hells Angels.
Richard posted pictures of himself on Facebook wearing Angels merchandise. One photo shows him in a hoodie with the slogan "Support 81."
Support 81 is a logo placed on clothing, hats and rings marketed on the Hells Angels website. The number eight stands for the eighth letter in the alphabet "h," and the number one stands for the first letter "a."
Clarifications
- An earlier version of this story included a photo with Ronald Richard and three other individuals. This photo has been removed as the three individuals were not relevant to this story.Jul 27, 2017 11:53 AM AT