ON September 28, 2019, shortly after 6 p.m., a man was shot and killed while seated inside his vehicle at a gas station in the 18600-block of Fraser Highway in Surrey. The victim was identified as 29-year-old Kristijan Coric of Surrey.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) took conduct of the investigation and worked in close partnership with the Surrey RCMP, the Integrated Forensic Identification Service (IFIS) and the BC Coroners Service to advance the investigation.

In the early stages of the investigation, it was determined that a male suspect was seen running away from the shooting site and getting into a Toyota sedan driven by a second male.

Several hours later, at around 10 p.m., the Burnaby RCMP received a report of a burnt Toyota sedan in the area of Willingdon Avenue and Kemp Street which was linked to the earlier shooting.

On October 30, 2020, Carlos Monteith was charged with the first-degree murder of Coric, and Trion Castello was charged with accessory after the fact.

Following lengthy court proceedings, on February 3, 2025, the trial by jury began in the Supreme Court of B.C. in New Westminster.

Counsels made their closing submissions on March 11 and 12. The charge to the jury was delivered on March 13 and jury deliberation began on the same day.

On March 14, the jury reached a decision wherein they found Monteith guilty of first-degree murder. A conviction for first-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence, with a period of parole ineligibility of 25 years.

“This was a brazen shooting at a busy gas station,” said IHIT Sgt. Freda Fong on Tuesday. “Targeted shootings such as this one adds to the layers of complexity involved in the investigation.

“A guilty verdict reflects our unwavering commitment to justice, the hard work and strong partnership between our investigators, policing partners and the BC Prosecution Service.”

The matter is next in court on March 27 to schedule a date for the sentencing hearing.