Notorious Gang Leader Jamie Bacon Released From Prison After Surrey Six Conspiracy Sentence
Former Red Scorpions gang boss Jamie Bacon has been released from federal custody, completing a sentence of just under six years for his role in the conspiracy behind British Columbia's deadliest gangland massacre. The 40-year-old was sentenced in September 2020 to five years and seven months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the 2007 Surrey Six slayings.
Mastermind Behind Deadly Gangland Slaying
Bacon, once a feared leader of the violent Red Scorpions gang, orchestrated the October 19, 2007 attack that resulted in six deaths at Surrey's Balmoral Tower. The victims included rival drug dealer Corey Lal, his brother Michael, associates Ryan Bartolomeo and Eddie Narong, and two innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.
The innocent victims were 22-year-old Christopher Mohan, who lived across the hall from Lal's drug stash house, and fireplace repairman Ed Schellenberg. Mohan was on his way to a basketball game when he was dragged into the suite and executed alongside the others.
Police Monitoring and Victim Family Reactions
Sgt. Sarbjit Sangha of the anti-gang Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit confirmed that Bacon will be closely monitored by both police and Correctional Service Canada following his release. "We will be keeping in close contact with his probation officer. He has conditions and a curfew he has to abide by," Sangha stated.
Bacon currently resides outside British Columbia, where he once commanded the Red Scorpions organization. His release has sparked outrage from victims' families, particularly Eileen Mohan, who lost her only son Christopher in the massacre.
"For Bacon to be out and breathing the air of freedom does not sit well with me because this is the person who should be in prison the longest and not out in the free world like us," Mohan expressed on Tuesday after learning of Bacon's release.
Complex Legal Proceedings Continue
The Surrey Six case continues to unfold through the justice system nearly two decades after the killings. Mohan noted that Bacon sent Red Scorpion killers Matthew Johnston, Cody Haevischer, and an individual identified only as Person X to execute the attack.
"He was the mastermind behind it, and these three individuals followed his instructions to kill them and leave no witness behind," Mohan said. "This is the very person who planned everything, who sent these people, then gets a sweetheart deal, and so I'm not happy, but what can I do?"
Legal proceedings remain active, with Haevischer currently seeking to overturn his 2014 first-degree murder conviction based on allegations of police misconduct during the investigation. A hearing into his application began in November 2024 and is scheduled to resume next month in B.C. Supreme Court.
Johnston, who was convicted alongside Haevischer, died of cancer in prison in 2022 while also pursuing a similar application. Mohan continues to follow the developments closely, expressing concern about potential further plea deals in the case.
"I'm still kind of sitting on pins and needles about whether this person who killed alongside with Johnston and Person X will be given a sweetheart deal also," Mohan admitted, noting she cannot attend the hearings due to work commitments.
The Surrey Six massacre remains British Columbia's deadliest gang-related slaying, with Bacon's relatively brief incarceration and subsequent release highlighting ongoing tensions between justice system outcomes and victims' families' expectations.
