Arax robber faces murder charges

The investigation into last year’s violent robbery at Leaside’s Arax Jewellers took an unusual twist in October when police charged three people, including an alleged repeat killer, in connection with the incident.

On Oct. 3 Sarah Patsula, 23, and Kevin Williams, 31, were each facing conspiracy, robbery and aggravated assault charges in relation to the Aug. 9, 2010 incident at Sunnybrook Plaza.

That day, a clerk was shot in the arm and the leg when two armed masked men stormed the store during a robbery. Police say the assailants fled the scene in a black Audi driven by a woman. The clerk involved has since recovered.

Two weeks after the pair was arrested, police called a press conference to announced they had laid charges in relation to a slew of murder and shooting charges.

On Oct. 19, Mark Garfield Moore, 27, was arrested after an investigation into a series of violent shootings and homicides that had taken place in Toronto between June 2010 and November 2010, including the Arax Jewellers incident.

Moore has been charged with 54 firearms-related offences, including four for first-degree murder.

The jewellery store shooting struck a nerve in the quiet Leaside community, where shootings are few and far between.

The owners of the Arax Jewellers have mostly shied away from speaking with the press about the incident. Co-owner Lucy Khatcherian declined to comment when reached by phone on Oct. 21.

After executing search warrants on Oct. 2, police said they had recovered some of the stolen jewellery.