Three of the five accused in the high-profile kidnapping of a young Vancouver man have been found guilty -- a verdict that comes two years after the abduction had Canada on the edge of its seat.
On Friday, Justice Arne Silverman, who tried the case without a jury, released the verdicts for five men facing kidnapping and unlawful confinement charges relating to the abduction of Graham McMynn at the B.C. Supreme Court Friday morning.
Two other men walked without a guilty finding on either counts of kidnapping or unlawful confinement in the case of Graham McMynn, but while reading his verdict Justice Arne Silverman conceded that one of them, Joshua Ponicappo, was "probably guilty."
After the verdict, Graham McMynn's father met the press with tears in his eyes.
"I was delighted when I recognized the judge was heading towards guilty on the first two," said McMynn. "I was deflated when I realized he was heading to not guilty on the third."
When asked what the first thing he would do after the end of the trial, he smiled, and said, "Go home."
Jose Hernandez and Anh The Nguyen were found guilty on both counts. Joshua Ponicappo, and Van Van Vu were acquitted.
Sam Tuan Vu, meanwhile, was found not guilty of kidnapping, but guilty of unlawful confinement.
Kidnapping shocked quiet neighbourhood
McMynn endured eight terrifying days at the hands of his kidnappers after he was forced from his car at gunpoint in front of his then-girlfriend who he has since married, Jacklin Tran, on April 4, 2006.
Tran repeated the licence plate of the abductor's rental cars over and over and gave police their first clue as the force mobilized hundreds of officers to scour the city and prepare to storm where McMynn was hidden.
No ransom demand ever came from the abductors. The abduction became a very public drama when McMynn's parents went on television to plead for the kidnappers to contact them. "I have money," said his father in a tape dropped off at stations, including CTV.
Police capped a massive investigation on April 12 by rescuing McMynn from a suburban Surrey home and arresting half a dozen people in a series of raids.
Trial lasted eight months
The trial began in February with riveting testimony from McMynn and Tran but dragged into summer as the Crown called almost 100 witnesses and tabled 1,100 exhibits, including DNA and wiretap evidence.
McMynn testified he never saw his abductors but was able to distinguish their voices and accents. His fiancee described the two men who took McMynn from the couple's car at gunpoint as they headed to the University of British Columbia.
McMynn testified the man he believed was the kidnappers' leader told him they were to be paid $100,000 for grabbing him by others who were to negotiate a ransom with his family.
The five accused men were aged between 19 and 22 at the time of the kidnapping.
The accused have been in custody since their arrest 28 months ago and since February have made the daily commute from the suburban remand centre where they're held.
The men have not been allowed contact with each other and because they are held in a temporary holding facility, there are few services or programs.
With files from The Canadian Press
