First-degree murder charge laid 14 months after body found in Kamloops vehicle

Butch Bagabuyo seen in this photo from Kamloops Collaborative Family Law Association.

A former lawyer from Kamloops has been charged with first-degree murder more than a year after a body was found in a vehicle.

Rogelio "Butch" Bagabuyo, 55, was taken into custody after his arrest by Mounties Friday, according to a statement from the Kamloops RCMP. He has been charged with killing Mohd Abdullah in March of 2022.

“The investigation will now continue to progress through the court process, and no further information will be available for release,” the media release from police said.

Authorities described the homicide investigation as "lengthy and in-depth," noting Abdullah was first reported missing when he did not show up for work at Thompson Rivers University, where he was a lecturer.

Three days later, his body was found in a vehicle and police said his death was being treated as suspicious. As part of the investigation, police released photos of a white rental van along with security video showing Abdullah walking in downtown Kamloops on the last day he was known to be alive.

One week after police found the body, Bagabuyo was charged with indignity to human remains in connection to the case, with the police at the time saying Bagabuyo was suspected of placing the body in a plastic bin. The BC Prosecution Service confirmed Friday that Bagabuyo is still facing that charge.

Police have never released information about what relationship – if any – the two men had.

The Law Society of BC lists Bagabuyo as a "former member" who practiced family law. On Friday, the society updated his information to note that another lawyer has been appointed as a custodian of Bagabuyo's practice, something that is done in order to "manage or to wind up a legal practice."