Vancouver trial of man in fire attack on Filipino comes to a halt

Robertson Dechazal is accused of intentionally setting a sleeping Filipino man on fire in October 2009.

SAN FRANCISCO – The trial of a suspected neo-Nazi accused of intentionally setting a Filipino man on fire began in Vancouver, Canada on Tuesday, August 4. But it came to a temporary halt by request of the prosecution after one of its witnesses claimed a hazy memory of the incident.

The stay of proceedings came after Crown counsel Ellen Leno had difficulties with the third witness in the trial of Robertson Conley Trimble Dechazal, accused of aggravated assault on John Vincent Ragjay, a Filipino. Dechazal had pleaded not guilty.

The 25-year-old Ragjay was set on fire in October 2009 while he was sleeping on a couch outside a building at Commercial Drive and East 5th Avenue. Ragjay suffered burns to his arms, neck and head but survived.

The third witness claimed during the trial that he was high on drugs and could not remember a fire during the incident.

Dechazal is believed to be part of the white supremacist group called “Blood and Honour” and police initially investigated the assault on Ragjay as a hate crime.

But in her opening statement to B.C. Supreme Justice Ian Josephson, Leno made no mention of Dechazal’s alleged link to the white supremacist group and, for “lack of evidence,” was not expected to allege he was motivated by hate.

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