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economist suntribune crime saturday july 20 2002 bedlam at wong murder trial courtroom cleared as guilty verdict causes melee with security by jeff mitchell and kathleen griffin staff writers a convicted killer shouted obscenities and struggled with police officers who tried to put handcuffs on him after he and three codefendants were found guilty of the firstdegree murder of markhams maria wong thursday officers cleared the newmarket courtroom of spectators and con verged on the prisoners box to sub due christian ortiz who loudly protested his innocence after he and three coconspirators were found guilty of the february 1999 slaying after three days of jury deliberations all four men received life sen tences they will not be eligible for parole for 25 years mrs wong 44 was the victim of a contract killing part of a plot to collect on 600000 in insurance policies to pay off her husbands 130000 in gambling debts and a 210000 second mortgage taken out three months before the murder mr ortiz and the other defen dants norman figueroa andre jones and shu kwan johnny wong the dead womans husband showed little emotion when the verdicts were handed down but he grew agitated when the case was declared closed and police attempted to lead the men away mr ortiz believed to be the stabber threw up his arms and twisted away from an officer who approached him in the glassedin prisoners box attempting to put handcuffs on him at least eight officers had been assigned to provide security in the fourthfloor courtroom where the verdict was delivered just before noon as mr ortiz struggled several officers rushed forward to restrain him while shouting at family mem bers reporters and other spectators to clear the courtroom still fighting mr ortiz shouted as he was pulled from the room some other motherf- does the crime and i get life as he was led away the man spoke over his shoulder to a mid dleaged aunt who had sat weep ing throughout the mornings brief proceedings always remember i love you he called to her the scene in the courtroom thursday morning was a climactic ending to a twoandahalfmonth staff photosjoerd witteveen the garage at the home of maria wong in markhams raymerville subdivision was covered with tarpaulin after her body was found feb 1 1 1999 four men including mrs wongs huband were convicted of her contract killing in newmarket court thursday trial whose sixwoman sixman jury heard mrs wong pleaded for her life before being slaughtered on the floor of her own garage on feb 11 1999 in late december or early january mr wong approached andre jones a bouncer at the champions offtrack betting par lour in markham with his plan to hire a killer for 30000 mr jones had no stomach for murder but contacted a friend james pierce who agreed to help mr jones kept 10000 and handed over 20000 to mr pierce who contacted a friend that put him in touch with mr ortiz mr figueroa and another man who has not gone to trial and under a court order cannot be named the planning began the knife was purchased the raymerville drive home scoped out the get away car rented and all the players in place despite that the act itself was fraught with mistakes and stu pidity the killers needed a ride to markham they didnt have their own car mr pierce orchestrator of the plot and chauffeur rented a car in his own name he and the others staked out the unionville library and the wong maria wong mandatory life sen tence handed to men convicted of her murder neighbourhood four or five times before the slaying taking hwy 407 every time the only highway that photographs licence plates leaving a permanent record they were instructed to make it look like a robbery they did steal 60 in bloodsoaked money from mrs wongs purse but her honda crv ended up just blocks away in the mcdonalds plaza rather than in a janefinch chop shop as planned the evening of feb 1 1 1999 they followed mrs wong from the library to her home mr ortiz and mr figueroa becoming increasingly anxious told mr pierce if the job wasnt done that night they werent going to return to markham but someone had to get her out of the house thats when the cell phone calls began in earnest between the con spirators a total of 87 that day they were the biggest mistake the killers made and were ultimately their undoing records show while mrs wong was inside her home mr pierce called mr jones who then contact ed mr wong he in turn called the house moments later while no one can say exactly what was said mrs wong did leave the house again picking up chinese take out she was ambushed as she exited her car inside the garage throat slashed three times one cut so deep she was almost decapitated she also suffered defensive wounds on her hands and arms using oldfashioned police leg work det les young combed through records of more than 30000 calls before connecting the four accused this jived with witness reports of seeing two swarthy looking men with cell phones around the wong home that night mr ortiz and mr figueroa but direct evidence against wong was thin police hoped they had a motive and they had the cell phone connection but little else enter lisa bateman prostitute and mr pierces thengirlfriend she admitted to police she was in the car the night of the murder and that mr pierce had agreed to do a job for a chinaman the former call girl relayed mr ortizs description of the slaying and the way in which mrs wong begged for her life telling her assailant he could take whatever he wanted james pierce kept asking if ortiz was sure she was dead how did he know she was dead chris said she was making croaking nois es ms bateman told the trial he said he stabbed her three or four times to make sure she was dead the woman also testified that mr ortiz shouted die bitch die as he killed mrs wong the crown theorized the sus pects agreed to carry out the mur der for 9000 but in the end collect ed only 2000 mr pierce made a deal receiving a 16year sentence after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit murder and agreeing to testify against the others mr justice john mclsaac called the crime an inhumane act approved auto repair services 4 heritage road markham ont l3p 1m4 hie dealership juftnrnahwi ml srwis awifeife for gm ford chrysler toyota honda mazda nissan km suzuki wwbs f n 1 a o t ji v ffi v ii hyundai isuzu viplxzf oit ll f iv v ft accredited r ffrrft txi i hi i4r- 1 1 1 1 r 1 a vv ttt 1 r 1 ivotu 9054725100 isrw checb us out at wwwmarkhamautoconi jfxt k i v ivjjj b ii r m s w r rvf r v 1 rr v yni jrr jji t