Rogelio "Butch" Bagabuyo seen leaving the Kamloops courthouse on April 17, 2025.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

Mohd Abdullah was preparing to retire and the nearly $800,000 he gave to his lawyer would have accounted for a major portion of all that he set aside.

That's according to Abdullah's former financial advisor Murray Redman, who testified in a Kamloops courtroom Friday, May 2.

Now at the end of his third week on trial, Rogelio 'Butch' Bagabuyo is facing a first-degree murder charge after Abdullah's body was discovered in March 2022. He was quickly charged with causing indignity to a dead body at the time, but a year-long police investigation ended with a homicide charge.

The money was entrusted to Bagabuyo, who's accused of planning and carrying out Abdullah's murder.

As Abdullah’s lawyer, he hid the retirement savings in a trust account so it wouldn't be split in Abdullah's divorce, the court heard. Bagabuyo allegedly used the money for himself and killed Abdullah, 62, who was in the midst of a protracted effort to regain the funds.

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In the months preceding Abdullah's death, he became more concerned about getting the money back. He was initially planning to retire at the age 60 before extending the plan five more years because he enjoyed working, Redman said.

"It was expected in December (2021) and it did not happen so he was getting quite anxious about the money being released to him," Redman told the court.

The former financial advisor grew concerned for Abdullah's mental health over time, agreeing with Bagabuyo's lawyer Abdullah had become "frantic" and "upset" about the money.

Though Adbullah was a "conservative" investor and would have only earned at most around five percent interest in the account had it been with the bank, Redman said a lawyer's trust account would earn no interest whatsoever.

The court heard Abdullah was also concerned because the scheme to hide the money from his divorce could land both himself and Bagabuyo in legal trouble. Two years after his ex-wife died, Abdullah allegedly began pressing more for the return of his money.

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During the trial, the court has heard testimony claiming a final meeting at Bagabuyo's downtown law office in March 2022 was meant to settle the matter and potentially see Abdullah's money returned to him.

It would be the last day Adbullah was seen alive, taking a bus from Thompson Rivers University to downtown.

The court has also seen surveillance footage depicting Bagabuyo loading a large plastic tote into his Honda Pilot SUV — the same tote he allegedly carried in a rented cargo van to find a place to bury the body.

Abdullah's body, however, was discovered in the back of the van before he found a place to dig, the court heard.

The trial is expected to resume in Vancouver later this month where it's slated to continue until late June.

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.

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