A Winnipeg man will spend more than a decade in prison for using a woman as bait before shooting her to death.
King’s Bench Justice Chris Martin sentenced Martin Faruq Luther to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the shooting death of 49-year-old Lori Gordon. Luther pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, five counts of attempted murder, five counts of aggravated assault, possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition, and discharge of a firearm with intent, reported Winnipeg Police Service.
On March 7, 2023, at about 6 am, officers responded to the 400 block of Beverley Street, where they found Gordon’s body and another woman suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. According to prosecutors, six armed men gained forced entry into a Wellington Avenue apartment suite where they accused the victim and the other woman of being affiliated with a rival gang.
Then, the defendant and two other co-defendants took one of the women to a Spence Street apartment where members of a rival gang resided. They told the woman to knock on the door before forcing their way into the apartment and opening fire on four men, including one who was shot in the face.
Next, Luther and the two other co-defendants took Gordon and the other women and headed for a Toronto Street drug house. Upon reaching Beverley Street and Toronto Street, the defendant and the co-defendant shot the victims multiple times.
Investigators connected both shootings after collecting eleven bullet casings from the crime scene that matched the bullet casings used at the Spence Street apartment shooting.
Luther, who was identified as one of the perpetrators was arrested six months later in Hanover. Though one of the females survived, she was unable to identify the perpetrators, and the rival gang members that was attacked refused to cooperate with law enforcement.
Martin sentenced Luther to an additional eight and six years for the other charges to run concurrently.
“This seems to be about as bad as it gets. This was a particularly grievous and heinous offence that showed a callous disregard for human life,” said Martin, according to The Free Press.
Luther will be eligible for parole after serving 12 years.
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