Calgary police offer few details on arrest of murder suspect in Vietnam

Police are staying tight lipped around the arrest and deportation of a murder suspect from Vietnam back to Calgary.

Nathan PaulGervais fled Calgary while on bail pending trial forfirst-degree murder in the death ofLukasStrasser-Hird. ACanada-wide warrant was issued for his arrest.

• Nathan Gervais arrested overseas, returned to Canada to face 1st-degree murder charge
• Family of Lukas Strasser-Hird, swarmed in nightclub alley, not happy with killers' sentences

He was returned to Canada from Vietnam on Feb. 9.

Staff Sgt. Colin Chisholm said Gervaisappeared before a judge on Thursday and was denied bail.

He said Vietnamese authorities notified Calgary police that Gervaiswas in custody in November2017but could not elaborate on why he was arrested in that country.

Chisholm said Calgary police were invited to Vietnam to accompany Gervais back to Canada and that he was formally arrested once they landed in Toronto for a layover.

'Restricted' in saying more

There were no further details available, with Chisholm saying he could not comment on any aspect of the Vietnamese investigation, including where and when Gervaiswas located.

"There will come a time when I will be in a position to give you additional details in this case; however, I am restricted in scope as to what I can say at this time," said Chisholm at a news conference organized by police.

He said there is an investigation into whether anyone helped Gervais flee from Canada, but that is standard in these kinds of situations.

Guilty verdicts

Strasser-Hird, 18,died after he was swarmed and stabbed in an alley at Second Street and 10th Avenue S.W. in Calgary in 2013.

Gervais was set to be tried along with four other young men, three of whom Franz Cabrera, Assmar Shlah and JochPouk were later convicted in Strasser-Hird's death.

Cabrera and Shlah were found guilty of second-degree murder, while Pouk was found guilty of manslaughter.

• MORE CALGARY NEWS |Alberta expects to license 250 cannabis stores in first year
• MORE CALGARY NEWS |Alberta spent $27.4M in taxpayer subsidies to 15 elite private schools last year