Rogelio "Butch" Bagabuyo is seen leaving the Kamloops courthouse with his lawyer, Mark Swartz, on April 15, 2025.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

An elderly man who agreed to help his friend, Rogelio "Butch" Bagabuyo, dispose of a mysterious plastic bin three years ago said the pair drove for hours without success, looking for a place they could dig in cold spring conditions.

Now 87 years old, Wynand Rautenbach recalled dead-ends, closed roads and wintery conditions during the two-day effort. From Kamloops to Cache Creek, Logan Lake and Lac le Jeune, they tried to find a place to dig after renting a cargo van in Rautenbach's name.

Bagabuyo's lawyer questioned Rautenbach on Wednesday, April 16, making note of the lack planning as they drove long distances in a failed effort to find somewhere to bury the bin, which allegedly held murder victim Mohd Abdullah.

"There was no plan as to where you guys were driving to; you were just sort of driving around aimlessly. Is that fair to say?" lawyer Mark Swartz said, to which Rautenbach agreed.

Bagabuyo, a Kamloops lawyer, is accused of killing Abdullah three years ago. He pleaded not guilty and is now on trial for first-degree murder, a charge that requires the Crown to prove planned the killing in advance.

Rautenbach testified he readily obliged Bagabuyo's request for help burying a bin he needed to "get rid of," but he wasn't aware of what it contained. 

On the third day of Bagabuyo's first-degree murder trial, Swartz started the day by questioning Rautenbach, who said he couldn't initially remember giving a police statement, but he did recall the lengthy trips he and Bagabuyo in the rented cargo van.

"That's a long time ago. I suppose I did," he said. "If I spoke to 50 policemen or five, I couldn't tell you that."

He couldn't recall precisely where they got coffee together when Bagabuyo came asking for help, the details of his police statements or the garden tools Bagabuyo borrowed from his home allegedly intended for digging the burial. He did say he remembered staying in a hotel while police investigated his home, renting the cargo van in his own name and why he resisted his grandson's effort to search for what was inside the plastic bin.

Both his grandson and his wife, who testified earlier, described Rautenbach as frail and having a declining memory which had gotten worse in recent years, but his grandson said the most prevalent issue is his ability to retain new memories. They also said they were concerned Rautenbach was being taken advantage of for "suspicious" purposes.

Swartz replayed parts of Rautenbach's police interviews in which he told officers of Bagabuyo's request for help renting a van and some of the places they drove as they looked for a place to dig a hole. He told police Bagabuyo came to his door claiming to be "in trouble" and needed help, adding Bagabuyo was in a "state of fear." Rautenbach later denied that assessment in court, instead describing him as "edgy" and not like himself.

The court heard Rautenbach arranged the rental van and told the Budget employee they were using it to pick up a couch. The employee told the court Rautenbach took care of the arrangement while Bagabuyo was present but distant, only engaging with Rautenbach as they booked the van.

Over two days, they drove west from Kamloops toward Cache Creek, Logan Lake and Lac le Jeune. To the north they even reached the Alberta border and Rautenbach noted a failed effort to reach Dunn Lake, near Little Fort, where the road. He told police Bagabuyo was silent for most of the drive, whether behind the wheel or not.

Rautenbach at one point suggested dumping the plastic tote in Kamloops Lake, but Bagabuyo disagreed. They struggled to find suitable place to dig in that was soft enough in the cool spring conditions, had no people around and was not on private land, the court heard.

Had Rautenbach's grandson, Justin Robertson, not allegedly discovered Abdullah's body inside the plastic bin and contacted police, they would have gone out another day to again search for soft ground to bury it, he said.

Bagabuyo's trial is set to continue in Kamloops until May 2, after which it will pick up in Vancouver until late-June.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the court has heard from four witnesses, including the Budget employee who rented out the cargo van, along with Rautenbach, his wife and his grandson.

Crown prosecutors have evidence they say will prove Bagabuyo not only murdered Abdullah over $774,000 he was supposed to keep temporarily, but that he planned the killing in advance. Before hearing from witnesses, they described evidence that suggested Bagabuyo and Abdullah had multiple meetings over two years to discuss the funds. Evidence also shows Bagabuyo bought materials in advance of their final meeting at his downtown office, including a plastic tote that allegedly carried Abdullah's body, the court heard.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

News from © iNFOnews, 2025