By Canadian Press

Fugitive who died in Ontario plane crash served in Canadian Armed Forces: Defence

May 5, 2022 | 1:14 PM

OTTAWA — The Department of National Defence says two men wanted in Thailand for the murder of a man with links to British Columbia gangs both served in the military. 

Gene Lahrkamp and Matthew Dupre have been accused in the Feb. 4 death of Jimi Sandhu in Phuket and police have said they fled to Canada following the incident. 

Dupre was arrested in Alberta Feb. 20, while Lahrkamp was identified as one of four people who died in a plane crash that was discovered in northwestern Ontario Saturday.

The Defence Department says both served as infantrymen in the army and left the military as corporals, but it could not confirm if they served together.

Dupre served from October 2005 to August 2013 and deployed to Afghanistan for five months in 2010. 

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Lahrkamp served from February 2012 to February 2018 but never deployed. 

British Columbia’s anti-gang unit, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, says it’s investigating why Lahrkamp was on the small aircraft that crashed near Sioux Lookout, Ont., and his relationship with the others on board. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2022.

The Canadian Press