CRIME: Donald Salahub, person of interest in Surrey murder of Michael Amy in February, arrested

Donald Salahub
Donald Salahub

DONALD Lyle Salahub, 44, identified as a person of interest in the homicide of Michael Donald Amy who was found deceased in a vehicle in Surrey on February 27, was arrested in Calgary on March20, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team announced on Monday.

Salahub was wanted Canada-wide after a parole violation in early February. He disappeared from a half-way house. IHIT Sgt. Stephanie Ashton said Salahub remains in custody.

Earlier this month, IHIT said Salahub may have information that would help to solve the murder of Amy, 34, of Abbotsford.  Amy’s body was found in a vehicle at about 9:50 a.m. on February 27 in the 9500 block of 139th Street of the City Centre area of Surrey. After an initial investigation it was determined the circumstances were suspicious at which point IHIT were called in.

Ashton said: “It is our belief at this time that this was not a random act.”

Police sources told The VOICE that though Abbotsford Police had had interaction with Amy, he was only convicted for mischief in relation to a 2011 case. There were as such no serious incidents involving him.

Salahub has connections across western Canada and has previously had dealings with police in the interior of British Columbia.  He is originally from Manitoba.

A local newspaper had reported that Amy, who was also known as Mike Russell, was identified on social media as the brother of Edward “Skeeter” Russell of Surrey.

According to a March 2011 press release by the United States Attorney’s Office of the Western District Of Washington, he was one of the “seven members of a drug conspiracy with ties to the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gang” who were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment and probation for their roles in trafficking thousands of pounds of B.C. Bud marijuana and cocaine across the U.S. / Canada border.

The release said that Russell, “a dual U.S. and Canadian citizen was sentenced to 54 months in prison, three years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine” and he and two others were “described as managers in a drug organization that moved thousands of pounds of marijuana south into the U.S. hidden in PVC pipe, hallowed out logs, wood chips and hidden compartments in tractor trailer rigs.”