B.C. judge finds murderer in contempt over ‘inmate code’ refusal to answer questions

VANCOUVER — A British Columbia judge says a man convicted in the notorious Surrey Six murder case is guilty of contempt of court for refusing to answer questions out of fear of violating the so-called “inmate code” against co-operating with law enforcement.

Cody Haevischer was found guilty of six counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in October 2014, seven years after the gangland execution of six people at a Surrey apartment tower.

Haevishcher is challenging his convictions in B.C. Supreme Court, claiming police misconduct amounted to an abuse of process along with “oppressive conditions” while he was in jail awaiting trial.

A ruling from Justice Martha Devlin posted online Thursday says Haevischer was cited for contempt after refusing to answer the Crown’s questions while testifying in July in his ongoing evidentiary hearing.

The judge says Haevischer refused to answer questions about the other people involved in the murders, including fellow members of the Red Scorpions gang, citing a “code” among inmates that prohibits co-operation with law enforcement under threat of “extreme violence.”

The ruling says Haevischer refused to follow the court’s directions to answer the questions, and his claims of being under duress due to the possibility of being harmed or killed by fellow inmates lacked “an air of reality.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2025.