Toronto man convicted of murder in Thailand arrested for city bank robberies

Bryan Passifiume 

 

Serving over six years in a Thai prison for murder, a Toronto man was arrested in Manitoba earlier this week for a string of recent bank robberies.

 

Michael Joseph Karas, 61, was picked up by Winnipeg police Thursday on a Canada-wide warrant for five bank hold-ups in Ontario and British Columbia between Nov. 2017 and Aug. 18 of this year — a crime spree that began not long after he apparently was released from prison in Thailand and returned to Canada.

 

On Nov. 10 2017, a man armed with a black handgun entered a bank near Queen St. E. and Woodbine Ave. and demanded money, threatening to shoot the teller if they didn’t comply.

 

Full story: https://www.thewhig.com/news/crime/toronto-man-convicted-of-murder-in-thailand-arrested-for-city-bank-robberies/wcm/47a2037a-eeaa-4782-a1ce-0bc4532165be

 

-- THE WHIG STANDARD 2018-2018-08-28

 He's obviously a very busy man.

what a creep if there ever was one... no surprise he headed for pattaya lol

Seems he has spent pretty much his entire adult life in prison and he wants to finish it there too. When he fled to Thailand in 1994 he was on parole for a 21 year sentence. This saga has been well publized. He fought extradition  back to Thailand to face the murder charge. It ended up at the Supreme Court of Canada where he won. Some how the Canadian gov got around that and shipped him back. 

https://www.scc-csc.ca/WebDocuments-DocumentsWeb/32500/FM010_Appellant_Michael-Joseph-Charles-Karas.pdf

Edited August 28, 20187 yr by pegman

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Serving over six years in a Thai prison for murder

6 years for murder?

1 hour ago, Bluespunk said:

6 years for murder?

Yep, and/or 10 000 baht fine. 

1 hour ago, Bluespunk said:

6 years for murder?

Yes, I was shocked too, life is cheap in Thailand !

Edited August 28, 20187 yr by off road pat

20 minutes ago, Get Real said:

Yep, and/or 10 000 baht fine. 

dont forget the wai.

2 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

6 years for murder?

that's nothing, I 've heard

 

the champions in this Thai competition go scott free to continue  their business and let two boys do the death penalty for them

Edited August 28, 20187 yr by sweatalot

19 minutes ago, off road pat said:

Yes, I was shocked too, life is cheap in Thailand !

The guy murdered his girlfriend and then dismembered her body.

 

He then left the body parts in various locations.

 

He is scum.

Leopards just do not change their spots

4 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

6 years for murder?

Thank God he did not have any Yaba in his pockets while he was dismembering the body.

8 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

6 years for murder?

And 25 for dealing a few pills and 18 for picking shrooms.

Thailand needs a MAJOR overhaul of their Criminal Justice system, including educating Justices and removing those found incompetent, changing their laws relative to sentences for specific crimes, eg: Robbery; Robbery with the threat of weapons; robbery  involving death; Murder, etc.. Sentences should be appropriate, Murder, for example, should be 40 years to life,  life without parole, murder of sexually abused child, DEATH. Trial by Jury comprised of citizens from another state.

8 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

6 years for murder?

Guessing it was just a little one and no money involved?

22 hours ago, pegman said:

Seems he has spent pretty much his entire adult life in prison and he wants to finish it there too. When he fled to Thailand in 1994 he was on parole for a 21 year sentence. This saga has been well publized. He fought extradition  back to Thailand to face the murder charge. It ended up at the Supreme Court of Canada where he won. Some how the Canadian gov got around that and shipped him back. 

https://www.scc-csc.ca/WebDocuments-DocumentsWeb/32500/FM010_Appellant_Michael-Joseph-Charles-Karas.pdf

The Canadian government got an assurance, quite likely from a very high ranking individual and written down, signed stamped etc, that the guy would not be put to death. That is where Canada draws the line. They will not extradite anyone for a crime in another country if the sentence is death. That person will stay in prison in Canada.

I lived at Spadina and St. Clair in Toronto and know all the other areas where that guy robbed banks. It's amazing he got away with it at all, those are busy places!