In a press conference today, RCMP stated that there was no known motive behind the homicides committed by Port Alberni murder suspects Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky.
McLeod, 19, and Schmegelsky, 18, were charged with second-degree murder in the death of Leonard Dyck. They were also wanted in the murder of a young tourist couple – Australian Lucas Fowler and American Chynna Deese. Both incidents occurred in July 2019.
The two teenagers were found dead near Gillam, Manitoba after 23 days of an extensive police search for the fugitives.
In today’s announcement, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Kevin Hackett told press that there is no information to suggest that the homicides were premeditated.
See also: RCMP confirm bodies found in Manitoba were those of Port Alberni murder suspects
“Based on lab results, timelines and crime scene examination, we believe that no other suspects were responsible for the homicides,” said Asst. Commissioner Hackett.
The murders appear to be crimes of opportunity in which McLeod and Schmegelsky happened upon Fowler and Deese’s van and killed the couple for unknown reasons, before continuing on to the Yukon.
They returned to B.C. after encountering vehicle issues when they came across Leonard Dyck and decided to murder him as well. The two then stole Dyck’s personal items and vehicle to facilitate their escape to Manitoba.
Once they reached Manitoba, McLeod and Schmegelsky decided to burn the stolen vehicle and flee on foot.
On August 7th, police found their bodies along with two rifles roughly 8 km away from where the burnt vehicle was located. It was confirmed today that McLeod shot Schmegelsky before shooting himself in a suicide pact.
These rifles, one of which was purchased in Nanaimo on July 12th, were the same ones used to kill Lucas Fowler, Chyna Deese, and Leonard Dyck.
See also: RCMP recover “several items” linked to Vancouver Island murder suspects in Manitoba
Among the items they had stolen from Dyck was a digital camera that contained six videos and three images.
Police say that in these videos, the two fugitives took responsibility for the homicides, showed no remorse for their actions, and stated that they intended to commit suicide and wished to be cremated.
The RCMP has chosen not to reveal these videos to the public so as not to inspire copycats.
“By not releasing videos, we want to mitigate the potential for other individuals to commit similar acts of violence,” said Hackett.
The manhunt for Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky lasted over two weeks and employed over 160 police officers.
“From the time that we received first the call about the suspicious deaths of two individuals on July 15th to the day we located the two suspects almost 3000 km away, significant work has been done to answer the many questions that we police, families, and public had,” said Hackett.
Between July 16th and August 4th, the RCMP received over 1,500 tips from the public and executed 19 judicial authorizations to further the investigation.
