Lucy Li, suspect in Stoney Creek homicide, granted bail on $2.7-million bond
Yun (Lucy) Lu Li walked out of the John Sopinka Courthouse free on bail Thursday after more than six months in custody.
Superior Court Justice Andrew Goodman granted the 26-year-old bail under a lengthy list of release conditions, which include 24-hour supervision and a hefty $2.7-million bond posted by her sureties.
Li and her boyfriend, Oliver Karafa, face charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with a double shooting behind a Stoney Creek business on Feb. 28, 2021. Tyler Pratt, 39, was killed and his 26-year-old girlfriend seriously injured in the incident that occurred during a business meeting.
Hamilton police previously said Li and Karafa fled to eastern Europe in the wake of the shooting, first flying to Prague, Czech Republic - where The Spectator has confirmed Karafa dissolved his interest in a medical supply company.
It was months before the couple was arrested in Budapest, Hungary, in June.
Li quickly waived extradition and was brought back to Canada in the custody of Hamilton police homicide detectives.
Karafa, who was born in neighbouring Slovakia, fought extradition with his lawyers, arguing he feared for his safety and right to a fair trial in Hamilton. He lost his appeal last week after the Budapest Court of Appeal upheld the extradition.
The court in Budapest has said Karafa is the alleged shooter.
Hamilton police told The Spectator they received official confirmation about the extradition from Hungarian officials Tuesday. Local detectives will again travel to Budapest and, with the help of federal and international agencies, transport Karafa back to Canada at a yet-to-be-determined date.
Goodman's decision Thursday - which was supposed to be delivered Jan. 13 but postponed due to technical difficulties at the Vanier Centre for Women - comes after a three-day bail hearing in December.
Details of the hearing, including evidence, cannot be reported due to a standard publication ban.
According to the bail terms, Li will return to her parents' home in North York, where she will be required to wear a GPS monitor on her ankle, not use a cellphone or the internet, and not apply for a passport.
She must also be under the direct and continuous supervision of at least one of her sureties at all times, the terms state, including while she takes a permitted one-hour walk within a kilometre of the home for daily exercise.
Li's principal sureties are her mother - Hon Wei (Winnie) Liao, a high-profile Canadian-Chinese businessperson - and a family friend who has moved into the North York residence to assist with the supervisory conditions set in the release. Another family friend will act as Li's secondary surety.
The three sureties posted a total bond of $2.7 million dollars - the bulk of which, $2 million, came from Liao, according to the bail terms.
-With files from Nicole O'Reilly
Sebastian Bron is a reporter at The Spectator. sbron@thespec.com