Prince George RCMP shed further light Thursday on how social media played a roll in tracking down and arresting the prime suspect in a fatal shooting, during the first-degree murder trial for Anthony Robert Willier at the Prince George courthouse.
Willier is facing the charge in death of Nathan Alcide Marshall whose body was found outside his home at 1790 Hemlock St. on Feb. 17, 2010.
On March 1, 2010, a dozen days after the incident, police received a tip Willier was walking toward a Norwood Street home wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a nine-millimetre handgun.
When police arrived at the home at 2128 Norwood St., the occupant denied Willier was there and police set up a surveillance on the home. Back at the Prince George RCMP detachment, Cst. Vinod Raju looked up Willier on the internet.
"I checked Mr. Willier's Facebook status, and he was commenting that 'they've got me surrounded, oh well, I may as well give myself up,'" Raju told the court.
In testimony earlier this week, Cst. Luke Rioux, the arresting officer, told the court that the Facebook search helped confirm the location of Willier, who gave himself up without a struggle.
See the full story in tomorrow's print and online editions.
