A Peruvian newspaper is reporting that a convicted murderer who escaped from a Lower Mainland prison nearly a year ago has been arrested in Peru.
Norman Gilbert Riel, 42, is believed to have broken out of the minimum security facility Mission Institution on Aug. 24, 2014 by climbing over a fence. Prior to reports of his arrest, he was last seen getting in to a white SUV that was apparently waiting for him outside the prison.
Riel was serving an indeterminate sentence after being convicted of the second-degree murder of Patrick Pugh, who was shot in the head during a home invasion at his East Vancouver penthouse in September 1994.
Riel also has convictions for robbery and firearms offences, and police said he was previously known to have gang ties.
Peruvian media reported that Riel was arrested on July 18 in Miraflores, a district of Lima. The newspaper El Comercio wrote that Riel claimed to be a tourist who was in Peru for business, but then quickly changed his story to say he had no passport.
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada told CTV News that they are aware of a Canadian citizen detained in Peru, and that Canadian officials are directly in contact with local authorities on this case.
A Canada-wide warrant was issued for Riel by RCMP after his 2014 escape. The warrant said that Riel has a “lengthy history of living off the avails of prostitution”, noting he “is likely to attend locations frequented by sex trade workers”.
RCMP say Riel is a member of the West Coast Players gang, as well as an associate to the Jamaican Posse gang. He also has contacts in Mexican and South American drug cartels, according to police, and has documented criminal activity in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto.
Riel isn’t the first convicted murderer to escape from Mission Institution. Shawn Merrick, 43, escaped in March from the federal correctional facility, but was captured by RCMP in Langley on May 13.
