A man charged with first-degree murder in Cloverdale has connections to Abbotsford.
Barry McQuarrie, 33, was arrested July 4 inside the garage of a Langley home. The occupants of the home had no connections to him.
McQuarrie had been wanted by police on four warrants – including theft and breaching his probation – and as a suspect in the murder of shooting victim Gregory Quesnelle, 32, on May 12.
Quesnelle was found injured in his townhome near 176 Street and 57 Avenue and was taken to hospital, where he died.
Following the shooting, police issued a public notice that they were looking for McQuarrie as a suspect, and warned that he could be armed and dangerous.
A first-degree murder charge was approved by Crown the day after McQuarrie's arrest.
McQuarrie was in the news prior to the shooting after he was found not guilty, following his trial, of being involved in a break-in at an Abbotsford home.
As a key piece of evidence, the Crown said that a rubber glove left behind at the scene contained McQuarrie's DNA.
However, the DNA of a second unidentified person was also found on the glove.
McQuarrie testified that he worked for a criminal organization that sold drugs and, as part of his duties, he packaged the drugs and wore latex gloves to protect his hands.
He said he changed gloves for each different drug that he packaged and would leave the used set on the table, making it possible for someone else to take them.
The judge ruled that he could not find McQuarrie guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt" as there was no other evidence, besides the glove, to connect him to the crime scene.
About a week after the Cloverdale murder, a person claiming to be McQuarrie called a TV station, saying he would not turn himself in to police.
The caller denied killing Quesnelle, but admitted they were at odds over a woman and he had pepper-sprayed his rival in self-defence days before the murder.