‘A good day for Lukas’, Nathan Gervais convicted of first-degree murder in Lukas Strasser-Hird killing

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Family breathed sighs of relief and clapped in a Calgary courtroom Wednesday, as a judge delivered a long-awaited decision.

To bring an end to a years-long saga, Nathan Gervais has been convicted of first-degree murder in the 2013 swarming death of Lukas Strasser-Hird.

“Hopefully this nightmare for this family will end soon,” said Crown Prosecutor Ken McCaffrey in the lobby of the Calgary Courts Centre.

The 18-year-old was beaten and stabbed to death outside the now-shuttered Vinyl nightclub in southwest Calgary following a minor dispute at the coat check inside the club.

Three other men — Assmar Shlah, Franz Cabrera and Joch Pouk — have already been convicted in the murders, with Shlah and Cabrera guilty of second-degree murder while Pouk is out on parole after a conviction of manslaughter. Jordan Liao was acquitted of charges.

Gervais was identified as a main suspect at the beginning of the investigation but fled to Vietnam before the trial could start.

He was not heard from until being arrested in Vietnam in 2017 on an unrelated charge, then deported back to Canada in 2018 to finally go to trial.

Prosecutors say Gervais and a group of other men got into a dispute with Strasser-Hird inside the club and then attacked him outside.

Strasser-Hird sought refuge inside the club, at which point Gervais went to his car to grab a knife.

When Strasser-Hird left the club, the group followed him and confined him between a dumpster and a wall in an adjoining alleyway.

They swarmed and beat him, and Gervais stabbed him multiple times.

Justice William Tilleman said there was substantial evidence Gervais’ actions were the main cause of death, and while he could rule the murder was pre-meditated, a first-degree conviction was warranted due to the forcible confinement factor.

Tilleman said it was a chaotic scene in the alley and everything happened within minutes but said it would not have taken much time for Gervais to kick and stab Strasser-Hird before fleeing.

However, he did say Gervais was acting in a “predatory” manner, peering inside the club and “stalking” Strasser-Hird while he hid inside.

Upon delivering the verdict, Gervais smirked and gave a thumbs-up to Strasser-Hird’s father Dale in the courtroom.

“He’s a scumbag,” he said. “Looked up a couple times and smiling at me and things. He’s a goof. He’s a loser. It sucks that there’s people like that in our society.”

After the judge left the room, Gervais stood up, shoved open the door into the holding cells and could be heard banging walls.

In the gallery, while Gervais stormed out, someone said “See you later, ****head.”

Outside the courtroom, family and friends hugged and cried, relieved that it was all over.

“We’re feeling really good,” said Hird. “It was a rollercoaster ride in there, we didn’t know what was going to happen, then obviously we got first-degree murder for the forcible confinement. It was obvious that’s what happened from the very beginning.”

The conviction is the ruling the Crown was hoping for, as McCaffrey said this shows the high moral culpability in the crime.

There is still an appeals process, though, which Gervais may explore much like Shlah and Cabrera.

“It’s hard when these guys are just lying and lying and lying and hope something sticks,” said Hird. “People say that’s fair down here, but it’s not. The defence just throws as many lies as they can and sees what sticks. It’s all just a game for them.”

While Hird said justice may be served for now, he still holds Shlah mainly accountable and wishes first-degree murder convictions could have been made in the other trials.

“Assmar Shlah is the big deal. He’s the reason this whole thing happened,” said Hird. “I think the forcible confinement could have worked for everybody in this case. You know, when you stick a knife in somebody three times, what do you expect is going to happen? They attacked Lukas, ten guys, and they stabbed him while he was incapacitated on the ground. These are the biggest cowards I’ve ever seen or heard of in my life. They’re just a bunch of scumbags.”

Victim impact statements are scheduled to be heard on May 24th, and then the judge will deliver his sentencing.

The verdict also comes on the eve of what would have been Strasser-Hird’s 24th birthday, and Hird says they will mark the occasion.

“We’re going to just go out to his gravesite and bring some of his favourite things, maybe just a bottle of root beer and sing happy birthday and try to remember some good things,” said Hird. “Because today was a good day for Lukas.”