Man Asked Lawyer to Hide His Money, Ended Up Dead

A Canadian man who turned to his lawyer for help safeguarding his money ended up becoming the victim of a crime. Rogelio “Butch” Bagabuyo, a former lawyer in Kamloops, British Columbia, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2022 death of his 60-year-old client, Mohd Abdullah, an instructor at Thompson Rivers University.

In her decision, Justice Kathleen Ker described Bagabuyo as a “fraudster” and said the evidence showed the killing was intentional and carefully planned. Under Canadian law, the conviction carries an automatic life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years.

Court testimony revealed that Abdullah hired Bagabuyo in 2016 and entrusted him with more than 780,000 Canadian dollars to keep the funds out of reach during a separation from his wife. Prosecutors said that by 2018, the money had been spent by Bagabuyo on personal expenses, leaving him unable to repay his client. Even after Abdullah’s wife died in 2019, Bagabuyo allegedly convinced him the money still needed to remain in place for legal reasons.

According to the court, once Abdullah began pressing for the return of his funds, Bagabuyo realized his situation was becoming untenable. Prosecutors argued he spent days preparing for what would happen next.

With no eyewitnesses, the case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence. Surveillance footage showed Bagabuyo purchasing items later linked to the concealment of Abdullah’s body, and investigators noted gaps in his home security recordings around the time of the incident. A written checklist outlining steps related to a March 11, 2022, meeting between the two men was also presented as evidence.

Bagabuyo admitted responsibility for Abdullah’s death but argued the incident was a sudden confrontation that should be considered manslaughter. Justice Ker rejected that claim, concluding there was no doubt the act had been planned in advance. She noted the short timeframe between Abdullah’s arrival at Bagabuyo’s office and the lawyer’s departure, as well as the lack of signs suggesting a struggle, supported that conclusion.

Police arrested Bagabuyo on March 18, 2022, one day after Abdullah’s body was discovered inside a storage container by someone Bagabuyo had asked to help rent a van. The Law Society of British Columbia has since confirmed that Bagabuyo, who had been free on bail until his conviction, is no longer licensed to practice law.

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