Police Entice Murder Suspect Promises of Criminal Details of How Four RCMP Under- Exchange for Money
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He scores Terrace teen talks Locals Terrace loses a about playing the sport •,- . , how to act in g.C.'s prominent local volunteer he loves and controversial treaty t to northeastern winning\SPORTS B4 referendum\NEWS A8 . ,,, B.C\COMMUNITY B3 t~ ~t 0 o $1.00 PLUS 7¢ GST o ($1.10 plus 8¢ GST tO outside of the Terrace area) tO 0") TANDARD CO I I Police entice murder suspect Promises of criminal Details of how four RCMP under- exchange for money. By Dec. 1999 Alexander had been court heard. cover officers handled Alexander in an As the accused listened to the ac- paid out thousands of dollars by the After asking Alexander if "he was career were made extensive sting operation spanning count of the man who had brought him undercover agent for his part in the OK with this," the operative testified three months were heard in court April into the bogus crime ring, Alexander bogus criminal activities, court heard. Alexander tells him that he stabbed a to gain his trust 26. at times hung his head and looked to- The undercover agent then testified woman to death before. By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN One officer, whose name and physi- ward the floor. he told Alexander he wanted the He testified Alexander told him he UNDERCOVER RCMP officers used cal appearance is prohibited from With his fingers interlinked and his young man, then 17 years old, to "run was drunk and entered Linda Le- promises of a lucrative criminal future being published by a court order, testi- chin resting on his hands, Alexander the north - the tiorthern part of the bu- Franc's home using a hidden key. to gain Christopher Alexander's trust, fied he made contact with Christopher learned how police placed him in a siness." According to the officer, Alexander court heard during lengthy testimony Alexander in Terrace in mid-Septem- position in the expectation of gaining With promises of a $25,000 pay-out said LeFranc woke up when he was in last week at the young man's first de- ber 1999, a confession. to Alexander for a job involving th~ the aparlment. gree murder trial. Posing as a member of a criminal Alexander was involved in several trafficking of weapons, the agent tells He said she came after Alexander They did so in hopes Alexander, organization, the officer testified he elaborate scenarios involving other un- Alexander he will be introduced to the with a baseball bat and that's when now 20, would confess to murdering enlisted Alexander to help him com- dercover agents in which he would run crime ring's boss, "Mr. Big", the offi- Alexander said he stabbed her with a his next-door neighbour, Linda Le- plete numerous bogus criminal activi- errands, deliver packages, assist in cer said. knife. Franc, on Dec. 9, 1998. ties. collecting money from debtors and run But before that could happen Alex- The officer testified he asked Alex- "I tell him I'm going to be doing The alleged confession took place vehicles between cities in exchange ander must come clean about any past ander what he did with the knife he al- business in town here and I could use for money, court heard. just over one year after the 36-year-old criminal activity that could jeopardize legedly used. his hand," the agent said of a conver- "I tell Mr. Alexander at that time 1 the crime ring, court heard. Terrace woman was found dead in her "Chris states, 'I took it way out of sation with Alexander early in the like the way he works. He's quiet and While in Vernon on Dec. 14, 1999, town and I threw it in the river,'" the Braun St. townhouse by her seven- sting operation. he doesn't ask questions," the officer the RCMP officers develop a scenario officer said. year-old daughter. The officer testified Christopher testified about a conversation in Octo- where it is implied that a woman will Alexander's defence lawyer cross- She had been stabbed 83 times. Alexander agreed to work for him in ber 1999. be killed because of outstanding debts, examined the officer earlier this week. Nisga'a take heat for visit by premier By JEFF NAGEL Nisga'a Lisims Government A HANDFUL of Nisga'a pro- president Joe Gosnell never men- testers condemned their own lea- tioned the treaty referendum in his ders for welcoming premier Gor- address to Campbell, although don Campbell onto Nisga'a land Nisga'a officials had in March is- in the midst of the government's sued a statement calling the refer- controversial treaty referendum. endum a bad idea and suggesting Ray Guno said the timing of Nisga'a citizens boycott it. last Friday's visit to New Aiyansh "We have our treaty and the by the premier and attorney-gen- referendum will have no effect on eral Geoff Plant sent the signal that," Gosnell told reporters later. the Nisga'a are enjoying the "We have a treaty that states that benefits of their year-old treaty we are going to work together, and don't really care what hap- that we are going to rebuild the pens to other aboriginal groups. relationship. And that's precisely "The fact we have a treaty what we're doing." doesn't absolve us of our moral He did present the premier with obligation to support our brothers an extensive list of grievances, and sisters," said Guno, a Nisga'a requests and cash demands. teacher arid fisherman. "To do this Those ranged from cancelling DISSENT: Ray Guno and a few other Nisga'a said Nisga'a leaders shouldn't have welcomed premier Gordon Camp- When all other aboriginal groups .the closure of the legal aid office bell to Nisga'a territory during the treaty referendum. The premier ate traditional Nisga'a foods, including salmon and are united and outraged - it's a in the Nass to requests for money seal meat stew, at the lunch Friday with Nisga'a leader Joe Gosnell (bottom right). JEFF NAGEL PHOTOS slap in their faces.'" to support various joint commit- He said other aboriginal groups tees called for under the treaty. The visit was aimed at repair- reconciliation and rebuilding the supported the Nisga'a in their Gosnell also said the Nisga'a ing the rift between the Nisga'a relationship with the Nisga'a. drive for a treaty and now face a government may be denied money and the Liberals, who in opposi- The premter said he was wel- stingier government that will soon under a program that is to replace tion bitterly fought the NDP's pas- comed with "grace, respect and be armed with a 'yes' vote on its Forest Renewal B.C., threatening sage of the Nisga'a treaty and an openness that is a tribute to the treaty-making principles. watershed restoration work. then launched a court challenge Nisga'a Lisims Government and "If this referendum ts sueces- l-Ie also called for strict condi- of the consitutional status of self- the people who are here." ful, they're going to be at the tions on any offshore oil explora- government provisions. He said there was no signif- mercy of Campbell and Plant," he tion Victoria approves, coupled The Liberals abandoned the icance to the timing of his visit. said. "We have turned our backs with a multibillion dollar bond lawsuit after they formed the gov- "I wasn't waiting for the midst on our brothers and sisters." against environmental damage. ernment because they were then of anything," Campbell said. "I "I wonder if our president for- "If the moratorium is lifted, we effectively suing themselves. was waiting for a time when I got these are the people who must be involved in the pre-plan- Campbell pledged Friday to could come and it would be ap- launched the lawsuit against the ning stage and in the post-drilling honour both the letter and the propriate for the Nisga'a Lisims Nisga'a Nation." stage," Gosneli said. spirit of the treaty, and spoke of Government to welcome us." Mills to gain beds, but lose jobs MILLS MEMORIAL Hospital will chief executive officer of the Northern boration between specialists in the The authority now has 580 beds, but in direct patient care and $22 million gain 10 beds and employ more nurses Health Authority. northwest and more sharing of surgery that number will drop by 91, or 16 per in non-patient care expenses to reach but will lose some administrative and As it is, Mills now has 39 beds with to the extent that Terrace residents cent, within three years. its target. other workers in a three-year plan an- 10 of those located in the hospital's may go to Kitimat or Hazelton for day Doing that will require more mea- Only hospitals in Terrace, Smithers nounced last week. regional psychiatric unit. surgery. sures such as day surgery and more and Prince George are to gain beds Although the plan is vague in de- Another four beds are assigned to Some of that will be made easier providing more services to people in- throughout the north. Prince George tails, it will push Mills closer to regio- the hospital's intensive care unit. because the Terrace and Kitimat hos- stead of having to admit them, said Regional Hospital will get an addi- nal hospital status in terms of speci- But between five and 10 of the re- pitals will be managed by one admin- Warwick. tional 14 beds for a total of 185 by the alty surgical services as the Northern maining 25 beds are occupied by el- istrative structure.