Murder charge laid in stabbing of teen on transit bus in Surrey, B.C.
A murder charge has been laid in the fatal stabbing of a teenager on a transit bus in Surrey last week.
According to online court records, Kaiden Brady Robert Mintenko, born in 2003, has been charged in the case and was scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing Monday afternoon.
Speaking to reporters at a news conference, officials from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said a 20-year-old suspect from Burnaby had been taken into custody on Sunday.
Police did not name the suspect during their news conference, but confirmed later that Mintenko had been charged with second-degree murder.
The homicide in question happened aboard a bus on King George Boulevard around 9:30 p.m. on the night of April 11.
Seventeen-year-old Ethan Bespflug was on his way home after meeting up with friends in Surrey, but he never made it. According to his family, he texted a friend and expressed that he was feeling unsafe shortly before the stabbing occurred.
Bespflug's mother, Holly Indridson, said she felt relief when she got the phone call from homicide investigators with news a suspect had been caught.
"I think it gives me some relief knowing that that person is not out there just living a free life that he wants because, you know, it does help a lot. Because you take a life, now you're gonna serve life, I'm hoping," she told CTV News.
IHIT said Monday that investigators are still working to determine the relationship between Bespflug and his accused murderer, but that the attack was not random.
The teen's family has told reporters that Bespflug encountered two people on the bus – a boy and a girl – and that the girl "didn't like him."
When pressed at the news conference, IHIT spokesperson Sgt. Timothy Pierotti said the accused and the victim were known to each other "through a third party."
He also added that the arrested suspect was "known to police."
Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards, the officer in charge of the Surrey RCMP, described Bespflug's death as "heartbreaking."
"After all these years of being a police officer, I still struggle with the senselessness of certain crimes," Edwards said. "This is one of those crimes."
Bespflug's killing was just the most shocking in a recent string of violent events on transit that have prompted condemnation from TransLink officials and increased police patrols on transit in Surrey.
Both Edwards and Dave Jones, the chief of Metro Vancouver Transit Police, sought to reassure the public that police are working to address the recent spate of violence.
Each man noted that his respective agency has stepped up patrols in the wake of Bespflug's death, and Jones said the MVTP has been investigating potential connections between specific attacks and hasn't found any.
"My emphasis here is this is an anomaly, the number of events that have occurred of this type of nature on the transit system," Jones said. "There was no commonality between all of the events that have occurred – the separate incidents that have occurred."
As for Indridson, she would like to see an end to all the violent attacks.
"Stop attacking each other online, stop attacking each other every day in so many different ways. Stop attacking each other," she pleaded.
The family is holding a candlelight vigil near where the attack happened at 100th Avenue and King George Boulevard Tuesday at 7 p.m. to raise awareness about the senseless violence.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6921489.1718074294!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'People get very sick': Manitoba sees rise in rare, potentially fatal bacterial infection
A rise in cases of a rare bacterial infection in Manitoba has prompted health officials to issue a warning.
Feels like 40+: Heat warnings to last into the weekend for some provinces
Residents of some provinces are being warned of extreme heat this week, while elsewhere, some saw record-breaking lows this weekend.
Third teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of homeless Toronto man
A third girl accused in the death of a homeless Toronto man has pleaded guilty.
China blames Philippines for ship collision in South China Sea. Manila calls the report deceptive
A Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday, China's coast guard said, in the latest flare-up of escalating territorial disputes that have sparked alarm.
Canadians paying significantly more for airfares as summer ticket prices jump
A new report says travellers are paying significantly more to fly within Canada this summer compared with last year.
opinion Symbolic meaning behind Princess of Wales' style choices at first public appearance since diagnosis revealed
The Trooping the Colour marked the first public outing this year for the Princess of Wales, who has not been seen at any official royal engagements since December 2023. We now know that was due to abdominal surgery and preventive chemotherapy, with no return to public life anytime soon. But the Princess of Wales chose this occasion to soft launch her return to royal life, and it was eagerly anticipated.
Canadian-American suspect in plot to kill Sikh separatist extradited to U.S.
An Indian man suspected by the U.S. of involvement in an unsuccessful plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil has been extradited to the United States from the Czech Republic, the Czech justice minister said on Monday.
Safety board says unregistered submersibles still operating since Titan
The Transportation Safety Board says other unregistered submersibles have been operating within Canadian waters since the Titan made its doomed descent to view the Titanic wreck one year ago.
Gordon Ramsay says he's 'lucky' to be alive, shows off severe bruising after cycling accident
Gordon Ramsay says he’s grateful to be alive but shaken after a recent cycling accident in Connecticut.