Fugitive GTA murder suspects Oliver Karafa and Yun (Lucy) Lu Li have been arrested on first-degree murder charges in Hungary, Hamilton police report.
Karafa, 28, and Li, 25, fled to Europe within 24 hours of a fatal shooting in Stoney Creek on Feb. 28, Hamilton police say.
Tyler Pratt, 39, was found dead just after 7:15 p.m. in the area of Arvin Avenue, Stoney Creek. A 26-year-old female was located suffering from serious injuries. The woman, whose identity has not been released, has since been released from hospital, police say.
Karafa and Li are both charged with first-degree murder for the shooting behind a secluded small industrial unit.
Hamilton police said on Monday morning that the suspects are now in custody, awaiting extradition.
Details of the arrests were not announced.
Hamilton Police thanked the Hungarian Fugitive Active Search Team (FAST) team for its assistance in the investigation.
Karafa was born in Slovakia, where his parents had lived. He did business in the medical supply sector in the Czech Republic.
Karafa has lived in Canada since 2001, first landing in Windsor and then moving to Toronto.
He was sentenced to almost five years in prison for impaired driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death in a drunk driving crash in Toronto that killed his friend and personal trainer David Chiang.
He was released on full parole in August 2017, his parents were back in Slovakia.
Li is a triplet daughter of a prominent Chinese-Canadian businessperson.
Details of the fatal shooting remain unclear.
Pratt, an entrepreneur, moved to the GTA from B.C.
A white Land Rover that was reported leaving the scene was later found by police in the GTA.
Before fleeing, Li had maintained a flamboyant presence on the internet, where she posed in modelling shots.
After they bolted from Canada, the couple’s flight has been major news in Slovakia, where smiling photos of the couple were prominently displayed on Slovakian news websites.
An article on the Novy Cas website was also accompanied with photo of Pratt and a video of Staff Sgt. Jim Callender of the Hamilton police major crime unit, urging the couple to turn themselves in before they are hunted down.
“Oliver and Lucy if you are seeing this, we encourage you to turn yourselves in,” Callender said in the video. “We are working with international authorities and we are positive that our investigation will lead to your whereabouts. We will continue to relentlessly pursue you.”
The Li family released a statement through a lawyer saying they’re “shocked, disturbed and puzzled” at the allegations against Lucy and the death of Pratt.
Fugitive GTA couple arrested in Hungary over Hamilton murder, police say | The Star
Karafa, 28, and Li, 25, fled to Europe within 24 hours of a fatal shooting in Stoney Creek on Feb. 28, Hamilton police say.
Tyler Pratt, 39, was found dead just after 7:15 p.m. in the area of Arvin Avenue, Stoney Creek. A 26-year-old female was located suffering from serious injuries. The woman, whose identity has not been released, has since been released from hospital, police say.
Karafa and Li are both charged with first-degree murder for the shooting behind a secluded small industrial unit.
Hamilton police said on Monday morning that the suspects are now in custody, awaiting extradition.
Details of the arrests were not announced.
Hamilton Police thanked the Hungarian Fugitive Active Search Team (FAST) team for its assistance in the investigation.
Karafa was born in Slovakia, where his parents had lived. He did business in the medical supply sector in the Czech Republic.
Karafa has lived in Canada since 2001, first landing in Windsor and then moving to Toronto.
He was sentenced to almost five years in prison for impaired driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death in a drunk driving crash in Toronto that killed his friend and personal trainer David Chiang.
He was released on full parole in August 2017, his parents were back in Slovakia.
Li is a triplet daughter of a prominent Chinese-Canadian businessperson.
Details of the fatal shooting remain unclear.
Pratt, an entrepreneur, moved to the GTA from B.C.
A white Land Rover that was reported leaving the scene was later found by police in the GTA.
Before fleeing, Li had maintained a flamboyant presence on the internet, where she posed in modelling shots.
After they bolted from Canada, the couple’s flight has been major news in Slovakia, where smiling photos of the couple were prominently displayed on Slovakian news websites.
An article on the Novy Cas website was also accompanied with photo of Pratt and a video of Staff Sgt. Jim Callender of the Hamilton police major crime unit, urging the couple to turn themselves in before they are hunted down.
“Oliver and Lucy if you are seeing this, we encourage you to turn yourselves in,” Callender said in the video. “We are working with international authorities and we are positive that our investigation will lead to your whereabouts. We will continue to relentlessly pursue you.”
The Li family released a statement through a lawyer saying they’re “shocked, disturbed and puzzled” at the allegations against Lucy and the death of Pratt.
Fugitive GTA couple arrested in Hungary over Hamilton murder, police say | The Star
