The trial for a B.C. gangster facing a charge for first-degree murder has started in Kelowna and expected to take up to 82 days.
The 26-year-old Eneke Dillichuwu Anigbo, who the Vancouver Police Department named one of B.C.’s most dangerous gangsters in 2021, took to the stand on Monday, March 2 at the Kelowna Law Courts for the first day of a long trial period.
Crown prosecutors are pushing for first-degree murder charges for Anigbo in relation to the 2021 killing of 57-year-old Kathleen Richardson in Naramata.
Anigbo has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge against him.
On June 9, 2021, Richardson was found dead in her home, where Crown say she was restrained and shot twice in the left side of her face, killing her.
Two years later in April 2023, Anigbo and suspected co-conspirator Jalen Falk – who is also facing trial in a case that is under multiple publication bans – were charged in connection to Richardson’s death in April 2023.
Crown Prosecutor Emily Yao told Justice Alison Barnes that they are seeking to have Anigbo convicted for first-degree murder either as the person who allegedly first shot Richardson, as actively aiding in her killing or that he and Falk acted together in the alleged murder.
Yao said the Crown will present evidence showing the alleged actions by Anigbo were in relation to the retrieval of lost drugs and money related to a 2021 double homicide perpetuated by Richardson’s son, as well as the fact that Anigbo was aware that a potential murder could have occurred.
Richardson was the mother of Wade Cudmore, one of two men found guilty of first degree murder for the May 2021 killings of Erick and Carlos Fryer. Cudmore was arrested one day after his mother’s body was found in her Naramata home in June 2021.
Following Cudmore’s guilty verdict, he was given life in prison with no parole eligibility for 18 years. At the sentencing, Cudmore reportedly insisted on his innocence, saying, “I had nothing to do with the murders. My story’s not going to change.”
His associate, Anthony Graham, disappeared shortly after the killings. Prince George RCMP issued a missing person report for Graham in 2021. He remains at large and wanted.
Investigators believed that all three killings were gang-related and tied to drug activity across B.C.
After the death of the Fryer brothers, Yao said Crown’s evidence will show that Anigbo was involved in a search for Cudmore and Graham across the province, including events in cities such as Prince George, Quesnel, Kelowna and Naramata.
Yao said the Crown will rely on evidence from seized cell phones, CCTV cameras, and eye witnesses to corroborating Anigbo’s involvement.
Crown believes Anigbo was involved in a shooting at the 5300-block of Cook Crescent in Prince George, which police were called to at 3:21 a.m. on May 25, 2021.
Crown also believes the Prince George incident is connected to a Quesnel single-motor vehicle crash a few hours later, at 6 a.m. on May 25, 2021.
In the June 2, 2021 edition, the Quesnel Cariboo Observer reported that a white Genesis SUV (GV80) model was found rolled over on Highway 97 at Ten Mile Lake, and the that the front passenger had sustained serious injuries. It was reported that police located two loaded firearms including a handgun and assault rifle in a ditch behind the GV80. The Observer reported that three other men at the scene were taken into custody, but were later released without charges.
In court, Yao did not say who was driving the vehicle, but said that the Crown will tender one more piece of evidence from the GV80 encounter, a photograph of a document with Anigbo’s name.
Yao said the document is related to Anigbo’s access to firearms, and related to the allegations that he was with a firearm at Richardson’s house.
For the killing of Richardson, Yao said the Crown will rely on police photographs to outline the events in the Naramata home.
Importantly, Crown will be calling on a viva voce testimony from one Witness A who cannot be identified as part of a publication ban.
Yao said they expect Witness A will testify to their role in the alleged killing of Richardson and the search for Cudmore, and that they attempted to recruit others in the hunt.
It is also expected that evidence from Witness A’s cellphone and their testimony will show that they came into contact with who the witness believed is Red Scorpion gangster Kyle Latimer.
Their testimony is also expected to reveal that Witness A had drove Anigbo and Falk to the Richardson’s residence on the night of the killing on June 8, 2021, and was involved in picking them up from the house. Also expected to be revealed is that fact Witness A had also disposed of Anigbo and Falk’s clothes the night of the Richardson’s death by burning them.
Yao told Justice Barnes that Witness A’s testimony must be taken with caution.
She said Crown’s case is circumstantial, with many pieces of evidence connected to each other. She also said there are no direct witnesses to Richardson’s murder.
Anigbo has already been in police custody or jail since October 2021, when he was arrested on multiple outstanding warrants for breaching probation and assault. At the time of the arrest, Anigbo had numerous guns and ammunition in his possession and was subsequently charged with firearms-related offences.
During his time being incarcerated, Anigbo had reportedly stabbed a fellow inmate in 2024 while in the Millhaven Institution in Ontario.
On Sept. 12, 2025, Anigbo allegedly assaulted a peace officer, injuring them while in Oliver. He faces charges for that incident as well.
The trial resumed on March 3, and it will continue through much of the spring.
– with files from Brennan Phillips, the Quesnel Cariboo Observer and Jacqueline Gelineau