Update
Bandidos
By BETH DUFF-BROWN
SHEDDEN, Ontario Apr 10, 2006 (AP)— Police arrested five people on murder charges Monday for one of Canada's worst mass killings and said the deaths of eight men found on an isolated farm were part of 'an internal cleansing' of a motorcycle gang.
Police said they made the arrests at a modest, two-story farmhouse about six miles from where the eight men were found shot to death in four vehicles scattered in a wooded field in Shedden, Ontario, about 90 miles northeast of Detroit.
Police said investigators do not believe a biker gang war was imminent.
'This is an isolated incident with ties to the Bandidos,' said Detective Ross Bingley of the Ontario Provincial Police, describing the killings as 'an internal cleansing.'
Police said Bandidos member Wayne Kellestine, 56, would be charged with eight counts of first-degree murder.
Also arrested and charged with eight counts of murder were Eric Niessen, 45; Kerry Morris, 56; Frank Mather, 32; and Brett Gardiner, 21. The four were not members of the Bandidos.
All five suspects were either from Monkton, Ontario, or the Dutton-Dunwich area, a small farming community in southwestern Ontario between London and the U.S. border. Police said Gardiner had no fixed address.
The gangland-style killings are the biggest mass murder in Canada since Mark Chahal went on a shooting rampage in 1996 in Vernon, British Columbia, killing nine people, including his estranged wife and himself.
Murray and Brenda Silcox, owners of Palmer's general goods at the only intersection in Shedden a farming community of only 300 people that celebrates an annual rhubarb festival said while residents were stunned by the murders, few knew the suspects or the victims found Saturday morning.
'It's like somebody else's world dropped on ours,' said Brenda Silcox, whose family store has been in business for 85 years. 'It would be different if it were your neighbor, or somebody you know.'
Police Detective Don Bell also described the shootings as an 'internal cleansing' within the gang and insisted there was little reason for public fear.
'I think this is an isolated incident and I wouldn't expect to see any significant fallout from it,' Bell said.
The victims all of whom were either full or associate members of the gang were listed as George Jesso, 52; George Kriarakis, 28; John Muscedere, 48; Luis Manny Raposo, 41; Francesco Salerajno, 43; Paul Sinopoli, 30; and Michael Trotta, 31. Victim Jamie Flanz, 37, was named as a 'prospective' member. All were from Ontario.
Bell said U.S. intelligence indicates the killings were internal to Canada and not related to any rift with American members of the Bandidos. He said the Canadian arm is comprised of former Quebec gang members, such as the Popeyes and Rock Machine.
Police showed off two black leather Bandidos vests with a caricature of a bandit wearing a sombrero and holding a handgun, and said the public should note if they came across bikers wearing the garb.
'It should be noted that these men are criminals,' Bell said. 'They are not the motorcycle enthusiasts they portray themselves to be.'
The rural area where the bodies were found has had problems with motorcycle gangs in the past, but is generally considered low-crime compared to other parts of Canada, in particular Quebec, where biker violence is more common.
'It's not uncommon for organized crime groups, bikers or anyone else to eliminate some of their members. There are disputes off all kinds, power struggles,' law enforcement consultant Chris Mathers told the AP.
'This shows that the cops were right on top of this,' said Mathers, a former undercover Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer. 'To have five people in custody already, that's pretty good. And now the big thing will be to see which of the five is going to flip on everybody else.'
Mathers said the Bandidos and the Hells Angels have absorbed other biker groups in Canada over the years and he doubted there would be retaliation.
'It's probably hard to retaliate when most of your membership has been decimated,' he said.
Police found the bodies after a call from the property owners. Mary and Russell Steele told Global News that the vehicles were not there when they took the road home the night before.
They said they called police Saturday morning after looking inside one of the vehicles and not being able to see anything because of a blanket covering the back window.
Associated Press reporter Rob Gillies contributed to this report from Toronto.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
