The Kelowna man charged in the 2014 killing of Christopher Ausman is now facing a series of new charges.
According to court documents, Steven Randy Pirko was charged in January for a series of crimes throughout 2016.
First on the list is a break and enter for a June 17, 2016 incident where he forced entry into a Barber Road parking garage.
He’s also charged with a break and enter alleged to have occurred at an Academy Way storage unit in July of 2016.
For allegedly stealing from Winners while in possession of cocaine in September, he’s also facing two more charges.
All of these new charges were sworn in last month.
Pirko was charged with the second degree murder of Ausman in November 2016 and has been in custody since his arrest.
“From the early on-set of this investigation there were key factors to suggest that Christopher’s death was suspicious in nature, as such the Kelowna RCMP Serious Crime Unit (SCU) assumed conduct of the investigation into his death,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, in a press release at the time of that arrest.
On Friday Nov. 18, 2016 serious crime investigators co-ordinated and pulled off the arrest of Pirko.
Upon learning the news friends and family of Ausman took to his “In Loving Memory” page on Facebook and left comments about the relief and closure they’re experiencing in light of the news. By the end of the day, hundreds of comments had been logged.
Many noted it’s the first official thing they’ve heard since Ausman’s body was found on a bloodstained portion of sidewalk in the 100 block of Highway 33 on Jan. 25, 2014.
It’s a case that has seen little public attention for the better part of three years.
Ausman, who worked at Ace Plumbing and Heating, was known to friends as an all-round decent guy.
On the night of his death he had reportedly been playing poker with friends. It was surmised he’d likely been at the Rutland 7-11 and ran into someone with ill intent.
Pirko is scheduled to return to court March 2.