Canadian influencer and husband accused of murder arrested in Budapest after three-month manhunt
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After a three-month search, police have arrested a glamorous young couple suspected of killing a Canadian father and badly wounding his fiancee.
Yun “Lucy” Lu Li, 25, and her boyfriend, Oliver Karafa, 28, were in Budapest when Hungarian police arrested them on Saturday.
The couple are accused of shooting father-of-three Tyler Pratt, 39, and an unnamed 26-year-old woman on 28 February in Hamilton, Ontario. Mr Pratt died, and the woman was hospitalised with serious injuries.
Hamilton police say the couple flew to Europe within 24 hours of the shooting.
“Investigators in Hamilton and abroad worked together over the past three months resulting in the arrest of Karafa and Li in Budapest, Hungary, where they are currently being held in custody,” the Hamilton Police Service said in a statement. “The formal process to extradite the accused to Canada is underway.”
Mr Pratt’s mother, Jonni Yeomans, told The Daily Beast that the young woman who was injured was the man’s fiancee, and was pregnant with his baby. Tragically, the baby was lost when she was shot.
“We’ve gone through a devastating time,” Ms Yeomans told the Beast. “We’ve lost a grandbaby through it, as well as our son.”
Mr Karafa and Ms Li have both been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder.
Before the shooting, Ms Li appears to have been a social media influencer, and can be seen posing with her triplet sisters in multiple Instagram posts and TikTok videos. In a statement to Chinese news media, her family expressed confusion and horror over the turn her life appears to have taken.
“We are deeply shocked, disturbed and puzzled by Lucy’s involvement in the unfortunate incident,” said a version of the statement translated from Chinese.
Police have not said how soon they expect Ms Li and Mr Karafa to be extradited. In its statement, the Hamilton Police Service thanked Hungarian officials for their help in tracking down the fugitive couple.
“Hamilton Police Service wishes to recognize all the efforts of our policing partners domestically and internationally, specifically, the Hungarian Fugitive Active Search Team (FAST), for the collective efforts that resulted in the arrest of these wanted individuals,” the police said.
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