Nathan Zuccherato, Thoai Van Luc plead guilty in gang murders
Meghan Grant | CBC News | Posted: March 2, 2015 5:21 PM | Last Updated: March 2, 2015
Gang members admit to killings but face fewer charges
Two Calgary men pleaded guilty Monday to killing several people during a gang war that rocked the city several years ago.
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Nathan Zuccherato and Thoai Van Luc made arrangements with Crown prosecutors that will see both men settle the charges against them.
Zuccherato faced six first-degree murder charges stemming from gang killings in 2008 and 2009.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
The Calgary gangster admits to killing Aaron Bendle, who was gunned down in the Bolsa Restaurant shooting on New Year’s Day 2009.
Erica Bendle, Aaron Bendle's mother, described her son as "gentle, soft spoken and modest" today during victim impact statements.
"Aaron was a person, he loved and was loved and did not have to die," she told the court.
Food in East shooting
Zuccherato's other guilty pleas stem from another restaurant killing.
Tina Kong and Kevin Ses were gunned down and three others were injured at the Food in the East restaurant in 2008.
Other charges against Zuccherato are being dropped in exchange for his guilty pleas, including two murder charges stemming from the Bolsa killings and the 2008 drive-by shooting death of Kevin Anaya.
Luc, who was also charged with two counts of first-degree-murder in connection with the Food in the East shooting, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter. Two charges of attempted murder are being dropped.
The killings were linked to a violent feud between two rival gangs — Fresh Off the Boat (FOB) and FOB Killers — that saw multiple deaths in Calgary since 2000.