A second person is now charged in the death of a London nurse who was gunned down in her driveway.
London police announced Thursday that Osman Ali Afandy, 23, of the Greater Toronto Area is charged with first degree murder in the death of 30-year-old Lynda Marques. He was arrested in Regina, Saskatchewan on May 11.
Marques had just pulled into the driveway of her home on Wateroak Drive around 7:50 p.m. on September 10 when she was ambushed by two individuals and fatally shot. The pair took off from the area in a black Volkswagen Jetta. Police believe the shooters had come to London from the Greater Toronto Area the day before the shooting and left the city immediately following the killing.
The Jetta was found abandoned five days later on Meadowlily Road South near Commissioners Road East. London police determined the vehicle had been stolen from Bluffers Park and Beach in Scarborough on September 5
On Thursday, police said they had identifed a grey Ford Fusion that they believe was also used by the shooters. Investigators located the vehicle and subjected it to "extensive forensic analysis." Police believe the killers left London in the Fusion and that Afandy was allegedly driving it.
Also charged in the death of Marques is Ammar Patel, 18, of the GTA. He is charged with first degree murder.
When police announced the charge against Patel, Acting Detective Inspector Alex Krygsman would not comment on any potential motive for the murder, including whether or not the drug trade played a role. Marques’s partner, with whom she shared an infant son, was arrested in January following a traffic stop on Wonderland Road. Two loaded handguns and a quantity of drugs were seized during that investigation. Ali Bhatti, 28, was charged with 14 offences including possession of drugs and possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm.
Police are still investigating the murder of Marques. Anyone with information is asked to call the London Police Service at (519) 661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent in online anonymously to London Elgin Middlesex Crime Stoppers.