Two alleged gang associates who are accused of killing the mother of a rival gang member will remain behind bars while awaiting a trial date.
Ekene Anigbo and Jalen Falk were arrested and charged with first-degree murder in April 2023, in connection to the death of Kathy Richardson, who was found dead at her home in Naramata in June 2021. The pair were arrested after a two-year province-wide investigation into a string of what police referred to as gang-related violence.
A pre-trial conference was initially scheduled to begin at the start of 2025. However, due to extenuating circumstances that cannot be published per court-ordered bans, the trial has been delayed and a date has not yet been scheduled. As is standard with murder cases, the trial is set to proceed by judge and jury and as a result, strict publication bans have been imposed to not influence the jury before the trial begins.
The pair’s file returned to a Kelowna B.C. Supreme Courtroom on May 17, for a decision on a matter that also cannot be published.
Anigbo, also known by the rap name Lolo Lanski, is currently in federal prison serving a sentence for a separate firearms-related conviction and Falk is in custody on murder charges.
Anigbo and Falk are accused of killing Richardson, the mother of a man named Wade Cudmore, who is alleged to be a member of a rival gang.
Her son, Cudmore, is facing charges of first-degree murder in after an incident that took place approximately one month before her death. Cudmore and a man named Anthony Graham have been charged with first degree murder in relation to the deaths of brothers Carlo and Erick Fryer on May 11, 2021.
“Their homicides are believed to be connected to gang and drug activities, with alleged criminal activities not limited to Naramata but other areas of BC including Northern BC and the Lower Mainland,” said Supt. Sanjaya Wijayakoon of the BC RCMP Major Crime Section, after the bodies of the Fryer brothers were found on a remote road in Naramata.
On May 17, 2021, the Vancouver Police Department issued a public statement, warning the public about “several conflicts involving numerous crime groups that have resulted in murders and attempted murders in recent weeks in public places.”
In the release, Angibo was listed as one of Vancouver’s “top six gang members” and was identified as being at risk of violence from “rival gang members.”
“Police are expecting the violence to continue and escalate,” said the Vancouver Police Department, at the time.
Less than one month after the deaths of the Fryer brothers and the Vancouver police warning, Richardson’s body was found at her home in Naramata on June 9, 2021. Police were tight-lipped immediately after Richardson’s regarding potential suspects.
Then, on Oct. 7, 2021, Angibo was arrested in Vancouver for weapons-related charges after being spotted by a police task force in the city’s downtown. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
“Anigbo is believed to be involved in the Lower Mainland gang conflict,” said Vancouver Constable Tania Visintin after Angibo’s arrest.
Cudmore is scheduled to appear in Kelowna court on June 4, to file an application.
His co-accused, Anthony Graham, is still wanted by police and is at large.
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