'Horrifying': Man charged in complex investigation involving dozens of Edmonton arsons
A man is facing multiple charges in connection with a rash of arsons in the Alberta Avenue area, and police are calling him a key suspect in a complex investigation.
Darcy Willier, 38, was arrested on Wednesday. He has been charged with seven counts of arson, two counts of arson with disregard for human life, and several firearms-related charges.
The Edmonton Police Service held a press conference on Thursday to update the investigation.
Acting Staff Sgt. Dave Graham said police realized they had a serial arsonist on their hands in August of 2021. A team was set up to look into the fires.
Graham says they investigated over 100 fires in the area in 2021 and 2022. They were able to link 44 to the arson investigation.
“We were able to relate them together. To whether it was persons of interest, or addresses, or owners, but we were able to connect them,” he said.
Graham wouldn’t go into detail about additional suspects in the case, but confirmed that more charges could be coming.
“The investigation is ongoing, so we’re hoping to get there with additional suspects, but we’re just following the evidence at this point. And at this point it’s led us square on Darcy Willier, and that’s why we’ve charged him now.”
Graham confirmed that the person in photos sent out by police in relation to the fires on June 7 is Willier.
He also spoke to the frustration of some in the community who have been waiting for charges for more than a year.
“We know this is horrifying. Like the stories they were telling us, it’s awful. So this was a high priority from the time that it happened until now. And we didn’t stop working on it.”
“Arson investigations are really complex, and this one in particular. It involved multiple locations, multiple persons of interest, limited evidence.”
COMMUNITY RESPONSE
Dorothy Roberts lost her home in a deliberately set fire on June 17, 2021. Police sent out surveillance video of two people carrying gas cans in her yard before the blaze started earlier this month in hopes of generating information.
Investigators haven’t confirmed to her whether or not the fire that destroyed her home is one that Willier has been charged with. In fact, she says she’s heard almost nothing from the police in the last year.
“I talked to a constable the day of the fire. We talked to a detective a couple of weeks later, but he didn’t contact me or my partner. We had to track down his business card from one of our neighbours. And then we didn’t hear anything until the day they released the surveillance footage,” she told CTV News.
Roberts said police received the surveillance video the morning of the fire. She wants to know why it took them a year to release it to the public.
“The house was a total loss. It was a 1913 home, one of the oldest houses in the neighbourhood. Ninety nine per cent of our belongings were destroyed, and our cats, Gordon and Buffy, didn’t survive,” she said.
She and her partner are in the process of rebuilding, but supply chain issues are slowing down the project.
Meanwhile, she says her neighbours are living in fear.
“Every night, people are hearing fire trucks driving by and thinking, ‘Oh my god, could it be my house next?’”
ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATIONS ONGOING
In addition to the arson investigation, Graham says the police drug and gang team conducted a parallel investigation, which led to the seizure of drugs and a gun.
“Yesterday they executed search warrants and seized a significant amount of fentanyl, over a kilogram, and a firearm,” he said. “This investigation is ongoing, and further information will be provided by the Drug and Gang Enforcement Unit at a later date.”
Willier has a long criminal history, court records show. He has convictions for failing to stop a vehicle and evading an officer, and possession of stolen property over $5,000.
Graham also said on Thursday that Willier is connected with Abdullah Shah, also known as Carmen Pervez.
The notorious Edmonton landlord was fatally shot earlier this year. The investigation into his death is still ongoing.
Police have not connected Shah to the arsons.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.