CANADA Canada - Eduardo Balaquit, 59, Winnipeg, 4 Jun 2018 *Arrest* *Guilty*

What Happened?

  • Homicide?

    Votes: 11 100.0%

  • Suicide?

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Run Away?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    11

New Posts

  • #21
  • #22
Two Men of Interest in Eduardo Balaquit's Disappearance
7DF88826-D99E-4EEA-9D88-082D71D4B7C5.png F3E6C3D3-E185-42D9-A052-D25BDDB64030.png
Anyone that can help identify either of the two individuals pictured above is asked to call the Homicide Unit at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).
Click to expand...
 
  • #23
This is really getting out of hand. I don't even wanna think about what they could have done with or to Eduardo :(
 
  • #24
Im still baffled that they havent released what type of "crime" was committed yet. It was obviously something sinister..
 
  • #25
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  • #32
March 25 2021 rbbm.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/eduardo-balaquit-homicide-arrest-winnipeg-1.5963387

''A 35-year-old has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the homicide and disappearance of Winnipegger Eduardo Balaquit nearly three years ago.

Kyle Alexander James Pietz, 35, was arrested in Saskatoon on Tuesday. Police are not looking for any other suspects, they said.''

"Sadly, investigators have been unable to locate Eduardo's remains. His family deserves closure," McDonald said.''
 
  • #33
Crown alleges Eduardo Balaquit's death caused by accused's 'financial desperation'

The trial for a man charged with manslaughter in the death and disappearance of 59-year-old Eduardo Balaquit began on Monday.

The wife of a man missing for nearly four years broke down in tears as she testified in a Winnipeg courtroom about the effect her husband's disappearance has had on her and their family.

"It's breaking my heart all the time," said Iluminada Balaquit.

She spoke in the afternoon on the first day of the trial of Kyle Pietz, who was 35 when he was charged in March 2021 with manslaughter in the death of 59-year-old Eduardo Balaquit.

On June 4, 2018, Eduardo Balaquit went missing. His body has never been found, and there is no DNA evidence linking Pietz to his death.

Crown attorney Vanessa Gama, speaking Monday morning, told the 14-member jury that the evidence presented in the trial will show that Balaquit is dead, and that Pietz is responsible.

"This is a case about a man driven by desperation, and the desperate measures he took on June 4, 2018 that cost Eduardo Balaquit his life," Gama said.

Pietz has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent.

During the hearing he sat behind the Crown and defence attorneys, with short dark hair and wearing a black hooded sweater and black collared T-shirt.

Consistency and routine
In her opening statement, Gama said Balaquit's life of "consistency and routine" left a trail for police following his disappearance on the night of June 4, 2018 — and that trail led directly to Pietz.

That trail included a mysterious trip to Arborg, Man., and back the night of Balaquit's disappearance. Two of his debit cards were inserted at a 7-11 on Ellice Avenue, with correct PINs, and money was withdrawn.

"This is a case about financial desperation," Gama told jurors.

Gama contrasted the characters of Balaquit and Pietz.

Balaquit was a hard-working man who owned his own cleaning business while working a full-time job he had held for more than 20 years, she said.

Pietz, on the other hand, "was spiraling out of control."

"By June 4, 2018, payments were bouncing, creditors were calling, and he had absolutely no money in his bank account. For Kyle Pietz, it was financial rock-bottom," Gama said.

Break-in and theft
One of the businesses Balaquit cleaned was Westcon Equipment on Keewatin Street, where Gama said Pietz previously worked.

On April 24, 2018, there was a break in at Westcon and $1,700 was taken from a petty cash box. Pietz's fingerprint was found on a pamphlet used to jimmy the lock into the building, Gama said.

Shortly after the break-in, Pietz stopped showing up to work.

On June 4, 2018, Balaquit went to clean the offices at Westcon. That same day, near closing time, an employee noticed Pietz's vehicle circling the building, Gama said.

"Mr. Balaquit entered his alarm code at 6:05 p.m., and he was never seen or heard from ever again," Gama said.

Police spoke to Pietz the day after Balaquit's disappearance. Pietz told police he had been with Balaquit, Gama said.

Pietz became a suspect and police searched his home. They found pivotal evidence of what happened to Balaquit the night he went missing, Gama said.

Unanswered question
Although the Crown says their evidence will show who was responsible for Balaquit's death, and when, where and why it occurred, it may not show how he died, Gama said.

In addition to his wife, the court heard from Balaquit's two adult sons, Edward and Irwin Balaquit.

Irwin Balaquit told court that he sometimes helped his father clean at Westcon, but that he had never heard of Pietz before.

He said it was unlike his father not to call if he was going to be home late, and his family began searching after he didn't return. The next day, he found his father's van with the passenger window smashed.

Crown attorneys asked all three family members if they had ever known Balaquit to give his PINs to strangers, or to give money away to strangers, to which they all replied no.

Iluminada Balaquit, Eduardo's wife, said her husband had no history of mental health problems, had no medical issues, and had never gone missing before.

"He was always happy," she said. "You're never going to see him down."

Balaquit was a dedicated family who always celebrated birthdays and anniversaries, and was preparing for their son Edward's wedding before he disappeared.

This month would have marked their 42nd wedding anniversary, she said.

The trial is expected to last six weeks.
 
  • #34
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/eduardo-balaquit-homicide-trial-paused-1.6411012

The trial for a man charged with manslaughter in the death and disappearance of 59-year-old Eduardo Balaquit has been adjourned due to jurors testing positive for COVID-19.

Kyle Pietz was charged in March 2021 with manslaughter in the death of 59-year-old Eduardo Balaquit. His trial began Monday.

However, it was put on pause Wednesday after two members of the 14-person jury tested positive for COVID-19.

The trial is expected to resume April 12, Crown attorney Vanessa Gama said.

Balaquit went missing in June 2018. His body has never been found.

Pietz has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent.
 
  • #35
Sorry I missed posting this last week; the court sat for only one day last week due to COVID issues and a blizzard, because what's April in Winnipeg without an apocalyptic snowstorm. Last Tuesday's news report:

Jury hears more testimony in Eduardo Balaquit disappearance trial

Following a five-day delay due to COVID-19 cases within the jury, the trial in the disappearance and homicide of 59-year-old Eduardo Balaquit continued in Manitoba’s Court of Queen’s Bench Tuesday.

Among the witnesses, the 13-member jury heard testimony from Mike Smiegielski, the vice president and general manager for Westcon Equipment’s Manitoba division.

Smiegielski told the jury that Balaquit - whom he referred to as Eddie - had been working as the cleaner in the Westcon building for years without issue.

“He kept his job for 22 years, so he did a pretty decent job, and probably would still be there today if something didn’t happen,” Smiegielski testified.

Court heard previously, Balaquit vanished on the evening of June 4, 2018, after he went to his cleaning job at Westcon. In the nearly four years since Balaquit’s disappearance, his body has never been found.
Smiegielski testified records show Balaquit had disarmed the building’s alarm system on the evening of June 4, but the system had not been rearmed.

He said when he arrived the following morning, he discovered dust on the floor and dirt throughout the building.

“Once I (saw) the dust there, I thought that was a little weird... It was never brought to my attention before that Eddie wouldn’t finish a job,” Smiegielski said.

He testified he tried calling Balaquit’s cellphone multiple times, but there was no answer.

Smiegielski testified the accused - 36-year-old Kyle Alexander Pietz - had been employed in Westcon’s parts department from August 2014 until May 2018 when he resigned.

The Crown has alleged Pietz caused Balaquit’s death during a robbery driven by financial desperation. Pietz has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and is presumed innocent.

COMING BLIZZARD POSTPONES TRIAL
The coming blizzard set to hit southern Manitoba Tuesday evening will further delay the trial.

On Tuesday, Justice Sadie Bond told members of the jury the trial will be postponed for the remainder of the week due to the impending storm.

“That is in the interest obviously of everybody’s safety,” Bond told jurors on Tuesday, adding she did not think it was reasonable to call in the jury members given the forecasted storm.

Environment Canada has warned a major spring storm is set to hit Manitoba overnight Tuesday and is expected to last until Friday. The weather service has warned the storm has the potential to be the worst in decades.

The trial already faced a five-day delay last week after four jurors tested positive for COVID-19. The trial is set to continue next Tuesday.
 
  • #36
  • #37
Shrink wrap askew, X-Acto knife found at business after Balaquit’s disappearance, employee testifies

Shrink wrap askew, X-Acto knife found at business after Balaquit’s disappearance, employee testifies

An employee at Westcon Equipment and Rentals told the jury in a trial for the man accused in the disappearance of 59-year-old Eduardo Balaquit he was asked by the owner of the business to walk through the building the day after Balaquit vanished.

Former Westcon worker Kyle Alexander Pietz, 36, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in Balaquit’s death.

Jason Pohl, an employee in the shipping and receiving department who has worked at Westcon since 2009, testified he went through the building on the morning of June 5, 2018 after arriving at work at 6:30 a.m., about an hour earlier than his normal start time.

“I found an X-Acto knife on the shipping dock,” Pohl told the jury.

He testified he found the knife on a barbecue, picked it up and took it away. Pohl told the jury he put it back after someone told him he shouldn’t have touched it.

Pohl testified he found a roll of shrink wrap out of place, about two to three feet long, that he usually keeps on his filing cabinet.

“I picked it up again like the knife and I put it back, obviously, after,” Pohl told the jury.

He testified in all the years he has worked at Westcon, only one person has ever asked to borrow shrink wrap and he’s never found it out of place before.

Pohl testified that on the evening of June 4, 2018, the day Balaquit vanished, he drove by Westcon after work at 7:52 p.m. with his mother to go to Costco where he bought a fire pit.

On his way to Costco, Pohl testified he saw a blue Ford Escape that he told the court belonged to Pietz, who court has heard no longer worked at Westcon at that time, parked outside the south side of the company’s main building. He testified Balaquit’s van was parked in front of Westcon.

Pohl told court on his way home from Costco just after 8 p.m., he drove into Westcon to show his mother some flowers in the lot.

“Eddie’s vehicle is now backed in,” Pohl testified. “It’s just backed in this time. Not even 30 seconds later the vehicle left, drove behind me.”

“It went through the parking lot behind me, out on to Keewatin and on the very next building there’s a back lane. There’s a back lane with no street name and that’s where it went up.”

Pohl testified he didn’t see who was driving the van.

“Kyle’s vehicle was still in the same spot,” Pohl testified. “Before I left, I drove through our parking lot right in front of Kyle’s vehicle and I actually got out of my vehicle and I walked around to see if it was his and I could see the big dent in the door. I looked inside the vehicle to see if anybody was in there. Nobody was in there.”

Pohl told the jury he went home and texted his boss about what he had observed and then returned to Westcon.

“There was no vehicles there anymore,” Pohl testified.

During cross-examination by Pietz’s lawyer Amanda Sansregret, Pohl told the court he never saw Pietz, only his vehicle.

“He shouldn’t have been there,” Pohl told the court. “A former employee, quit two weeks prior and then he’s parked for hours in the building. What’s he doing there?” Pohl testified.

Cavin Zinke, a heavy duty mechanic who worked at Westcon told the court he saw a blue Ford Escape “doing laps” around Westcon before he left work around 5:45 p.m. on June 4.

“Three times in total,” Zinke testified.

He told the court he made eye contact with the driver.

“I believe it was Kyle,” Zinke testified. “That is the vehicle he drove.”

Sargent Michael Macdonald, a detective with the Winnipeg Police Service who worked on the investigation into Balaquit’s disappearance, testified officers obtained Pietz’s bank records for the time period between April 24 and June 11, 2018.

Macdonald testified Pietz’s last direct deposit payment from Westcon came on May 25, 2018. He told the court after that deposit, bank records showed a total of 11 NSF (non-sufficient funds) payments on various loans for a total of $1720.25 and $528 worth of NSF charges.

Macdonald told the court bank records showed three of Pietz’s credit cards with balances exceeding their credit limit.

Court has heard Balaquit’s body has never been found. His family members have testified they have not heard from or seen Balaquit since he left for work to clean Westcon on the night of June 4, 2018.

The Crown has argued Pietz killed Balaquit during a robbery.

Pietz is presumed innocent.

The trial continues.
 
  • #38
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/crown-closing-arguments-kyle-pietz-1.6439764

The jury trial for a man accused of killing a Winnipeg man during a robbery has moved into closing arguments.

Kyle Pietz is charged with manslaughter in the presumed death of Eduardo Balaquit, who was 59 when he was last seen on June 4, 2018, working at a business in the city's northwest.

His body has never been found.

The Crown is arguing Pietz, who worked in the same building as Balaquit, was financially desperate. The prosecution alleges Pietz stole Balaquit's bank cards and pin numbers, and Balaquit died during the robbery.

The jury has heard throughout the trial that Pietz was in debt and owed creditors a significant amount of money. Balaquit's family testified during the trial that the father was a hard-working man whose life was full of consistency and routine.
 
  • #39
rbbm.
Accused guilty of manslaughter in missing Winnipeg man’s disappearance | The Star
''WINNIPEG - A jury found a Winnipeg man guilty Wednesday of manslaughter in the presumed death of a husband and father who disappeared nearly four years ago.

Kyle Pietz had pleaded not guilty to a charge of manslaughter in the death of Eduardo Balaquit, who was last seen on June 4, 2018, when he left his home to go to his job as a night cleaner.

Pietz and Balaquit had worked in the same building in the city’s northwest.

Crown prosecutors argued Pietz killed Balaquit in an act of financial desperation.

The jury heard Pietz robbed Balaquit of his bank card and pin numbers and then disposed of his body in a rural area outside the city.

His body has never been found.''
 
  • #40
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/eduardo-balaquit-kyle-pietz-trial-verdict-1.6441334

A jury has found a Manitoba man guilty of manslaughter in the presumed death of 59-year-old Eduardo Balaquit, who went missing nearly four years ago.

Kyle Pietz, 36, had pleaded not guilty to the charge of manslaughter.

The jury delivered its verdict in Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench just before 8 p.m. on Wednesday, after beginning deliberations earlier in the day.

Seated in the front row of the courtroom, Balaquit's family let out a sigh when the verdict was read by the foreperson of the jury, then hugged and held hands.

"My dad did everything for us. He was a kind man to everyone. It means the world for this man to go away [to jail]," Edward Balaquit, the victim's son, told media outside the courthouse.

Balaquit was last seen on June 4, 2018, when he was working as a night cleaner at a business in Winnipeg. He disarmed the building's alarm code at 6:05 p.m. and was never seen or heard from again.

His body has never been found, and there was no DNA evidence linking Pietz to his death.

"Throughout this whole process, we were hoping that the evidence would show us where my dad is, or [Pietz] would finally tell us where he is," Edward said.

"That's the piece that we really want to know."

A case of financial desperation: Crown

Over the course of the trial, which was presided over by Queen's Bench Justice Sadie Bond and lasted close to a month, the Crown argued that financial desperation led Pietz to rob Balaquit, and that the 59-year-old was killed during that robbery. The Crown alleged that Pietz disposed of Balaquit's body.

Prosecutors argued Pietz badly needed cash as he was unemployed and owed creditors a significant amount of money.

However, defence lawyer Amanda Sansregret argued the Crown's contention that Pietz killed Balaquit for financial reasons was nothing but a theory.

After the verdict, Pietz's bail was revoked and he was taken into custody to await sentencing on June 8. The Crown will be seeking a life sentence.

During the trial, court heard that Pietz worked until May 2018 at Westcon Equipment and Rentals, the same building as the victim.

Prosecutors alleged that weeks before Balaquit's disappearance, Pietz stole $1,700 in cash from a lockbox at the business. Shortly after the theft, Pietz stopped showing up for work.

The Crown argued that financial desperation led him back to the business on June 4, 2018.

Prosecutors alleged that Pietz killed Balaquit during the robbery that night, then put his body into his SUV, covered it with boxes and took it to a rural area outside the city.

No one testified they saw the two together that evening. However, court heard $700 had been withdrawn from Balaquit's accounts, and police found a Post-it note with Balaquit's personal identification numbers in Pietz's home.

Balaquit's family testified he was a hard-working father whose life was full of consistency and routine.

Since his father's disappearance, Edward has gotten married and has become a father himself to a little girl.

"Every milestone she has, I try to picture what he would do. I try to be the father that I think he would want me to be," Edward said, while holding back tears.

"I wish she met my father, I really do."
 
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