Accused leaves court a free man
Posted by THUMPERRRR on September 27 2007 00:47:17
A Winnipeg gang member walked out of court a free man today after a jury found him not guilty of second-degree murder.
Daniel Benjamin Kachkan was accused of the vicious 2005 stabbing death of Aaron Hannibal outside a 7-Eleven store in Elmwood.
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Both Kachkan and Hannibal were involved with the Zig Zag Crew, the street gang that has ties to the Hells Angels.
Jurors began deliberations late Tuesday afternoon, spent the night sequestered in a hotel and returned this morning with their verdict around 11 a.m.
The Crown admitted from the start its case against Kachkan was entirely circumstantial since there were no eyewitnesses or forensic evidence linking him to the slaying.
Original ArticleProsecutor Gerry Bowering told jurors in closing arguments Monday there is enough evidence to render a conviction. He also urged jurors not to consider Hannibal’s criminal connections to the Zig Zag Crew -- the puppet club of the Hells Angels.
“Some people may say that because of his lifestyle he was asking for it. But the person who killed him didn’t commit any less of a murder because of his character,” said Bowering.
“This was an execution.”
Hannibal, 31, suffered 19 separate wounds to his upper body including three which pierced his heart and caused him to quickly bleed out in the convenience store’s parking lot at Talbot Avenue and Watt Street. He collapsed with as many as 15 people surrounding him.
Defence lawyer Tim Killeen told jurors there were plenty of unanswered questions, including why not a single apparent witness to the attack was able to identify his client.
“There is a very limited amount of evidence and a lot of speculation here,” he said.