Skip to content

Tsawwassen manslaughter suspect granted bail

South Delta grad Franco Douglas Sarra, 20, is scheduled to be back in court on March 15
rally
A rally was held last fall to keep the spotlight on Russ Armfelt's death.

A Burnaby man with ties to Tsawwassen was released on bail last week following his initial court appearance on a manslaughter charge.

Franco Douglas Sarra, 20, a graduate of South Delta Secondary, is charged in relation to the death of a Tsawwassen man in late 2016.

Sarra appeared in Surrey provincial court last Thursday where he was granted his judicial interim release on $5,000 bail.

Sarra’s next appearance in court will be on March 15 when the Crown will seek to fix a date for the next stage in the proceedings, said Dan McLaughlin, communications counsel for the B.C. Prosecution Service.

Sarra was arrested by police in Vancouver last week without incident.

Sarra is facing the manslaughter charge in connection with the death of Russ Armfelt, 53, outside the Rose and Crown Pub in Tsawwassen in December 2016.

Previously, Delta police said Armfelt was located unconscious and unresponsive early in the morning of Dec. 11, 2016 outside the rear of the 56th Street pub. Despite efforts by paramedics to revive him, he later died in hospital.

His death was regarded as suspicious.

DPD said this week it could not comment on any other specifics of the case because the matter is now before the courts.

Armfelt’s ex-wife Julie McGuire provided the Optimist with a statement from the family on the investigative efforts of the DPD.

“It is with sincere appreciation that I write this thank-you to the Delta Police Department. Our family is overwhelmed with your outstanding efforts in the work you have put in to start our healing process. You have left no stone unturned and it has not gone unnoticed. Great teamwork.”

McGuire said after Armfelt died the family was asked by police to stay away from social media to protect the investigation.

“So it looks like that we don’t care, but that is not the case,” she said. “When the case starts to happen, we will be there.”