Conservative MP, friends say they were stunned by murder charges against party volunteer

Conservative MP Mike Lake says he and his team were "shocked" tolearnthat Rakesh David, a 25-year-old volunteer for his office, has been accused of killing his grandmother, mother and brotherin Trinidad and Tobago.

"It's devastating. It's devastating," an emotionalLake told CBC News.

"There's really not much to say. We're all trying to understand itand I think some things you just can't understand."

David had been volunteering remotely online for Lake since May of this year.

WATCH: MP Mike Lake says he's in shock after former volunteer's arrest

MP in shock after volunteer is charged with murder in Trinidad and Tobago

3 years ago

Duration 0:23

Its devastating': Conservative MP Mike Lake reacts to news that one of his volunteers was charged with murdering family members in Trinidad and Tobago.

An initial report from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service says Kumari Kowlessar-Timal, 77, Radeshka Timal, 48, and 22-year-oldZachary Davidwere found dead on September 24 with gunshot wounds to their heads.

Global Affairs Canada says it is in contact with local authorities to gather additional information and is providing consular services to David and his family.

"Global Affairs Canada is aware of the death of three Canadian citizens in Trinidad and Tobago. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the Canadian citizens who passed away," a departmentspokesperson said in an email to CBC.

The initial police report says officers respondingto a report of "loud explosions" arrived at the scene andmet Rakesh David, a dual Canadian-Trinidadian citizen who was visiting relatives in El Socorro at the time.

The report saysDavid told police he was using the bathroomin the family home located on the upper level of a two-storey dwelling when he heard loud explosions. The report says he told officersthat he foundhis family members "slumped on a couch in the living room all suffering from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head."

Rakesh David was arrested the same day and charged with three counts of murder on Oct.1.

Police reportedly saidgun was registered in Canada

A police Facebook post says David was also charged with possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, possession of a firearm to endanger life and possession of ammunition to endanger life.

A report in the local newspaper, the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, says homicide investigators are saying the pistol used in the crime was registered in Canadaand that they are trying to determine how the firearm was brought into the country.

CBC has been unable to independently verify those reports.

Moshe Appel and Dakota Jeffery-Petts, twoConservative volunteers who befriendedDavid while volunteeringfor the party, said they wereappalledwhen they heard the news. They said theacts of which David is accusedare completely out of character.

WATCH:Moshe Appel, afriend of Rakesh David, describes his reaction to the arrest

We were just completely floored

3 years ago

Duration 1:21

Moshe Appel, a friend of Rakesh David, says he was stunned by news that David has been charged with murdering his family in Trinidad and Tobago.

"It's tough. It's tough losing a friend, especially when that friend is being accused of murdering his family," Appel told CBC News from his home in Victoria.

"He hasn't shown any signs of, you know, family conflict. He hadn't discussed any fights that he had with his family. Nothing, just completely happy-go-luckyRakesh."

"I was completely stunned for a good two minutes. I just couldn't move. I was just like, No way, no way. This had to be a joke,"Jeffrey-Petts said from Toronto.

"And then I saw the mug shot in the article and I was like, 'Oh my God, what? No, no, no.'"

Friends talked about election the day before the deaths

Appel and Jeffrey-Pettssaid that after hearing the news, theyimmediately started reading through old emails and texts fromDavid.

"Just trying to see if there was something that I missed or something that he said that could have maybe given some insight into what he was actually thinking. And there was nothing. It just left me more confused," Jeffrey-Petts said.

They say that the day before the murders allegedly took place, the three men exchanged texts and engaged in "casual political talk" about the recentfederalelection resultand what it mightmean for Conservative LeaderErin O'Toole's future. Nothing in David's commentsstruck them as out of the ordinary, they added.

WATCH:Dakota Jeffery-Pettsshares his reaction toRakesh David's arrest

I maybe didnt know the person that I thought I did

3 years ago

Duration 0:46

Dakota Jeffery-Petts, a friend of Rakesh David, says he's trying to reconcile the friend he knew with the fact that David was recently charged with murder in Trinidad and Tobago.

"It just seemed like business as usual, just like a regular conversation that we had," Appel said.

Appel and Jeffery-Pettssaid that,weeks before the deaths, David started talking about getting his firearms licence and buying a gun.

They said that on Sept.15,David sent them a text with a picture of his new gun range membership."I am now a full member at a gun range,"David wrote in the text."Shot my first rounds today."

His friends said David shared his recent travel itinerary with them via email. Itincluded a Sept. 8 trip to Ottawa to obtain a security clearance card to permit him to volunteer for Lakeon Parliament Hill.

Conservative Party cut ties with accused

A spokesperson for the Conservative Party said the party has severed ties with David.

"The Conservative Party has become aware of extremely serious allegations against this individual. His volunteer credentials have been terminated and he holds no formal role with the Conservative Party of Canada," Cory Hann wrote in an email.

David describes himself on Twitter as an "MP's assistant" and his LinkedIn page says he served as a "campaign manager." The Conservative Party says he did not hold a paid position with the party or with any MP.

David was born with facial differences, eye disorders and minor limb disfigurements.

He wrote about it in a testimonial for Athabasca University,an Alberta-based online institution where David was a political science student. The testimonial has sincebeen taken down.

"I have completed over 60 reconstructive surgeries and procedures since I was born, and the long list of surgeries and treatments will continue for the foreseeable future," the article says.

In his testimonial,David cites hisfavourite quote: "You can't blend in when you were born to stand out."

"This message has been a powerful motivator that has gotten me to where I am because I recognize that I was born for a reason and that I have to use my 'gift'to my fullest potential," David wrote.

Lake, who has a son with autism, has always been an advocate for people with disabilities.

"Our team has always been committed to helping people who are vulnerable and that's not going to change," he said.

Death penalty possible for murder inTrinidad-Tobago

David's own travel itinerary and the public prosecutor's office in Trinidad and Tobago both confirm hearrived inthe Caribbean country theday before the deaths occurred.

His friends said thatDavid texted them the day before the deaths of his family members,saying he was returning to Canada on October 10.

"I just thought he sounded so hopeful. And there were a lot of things that he was saying that he was looking forward to doing once he moved back to Canada. Which makes what happened just completely, you know, it doesn't make any sense," Appel said.

Trinidad and Tobago Director of Public Prosecution Roger Gasparsaid that he could not talk about the specifics of the case, but confirmed the maximum punishment for murder in that country is death.

CBC News is trying to determine who is acting as David's legal representative in order to obtain comment.