Cold case cracked: 4 charged in 2006 fatal Surrey beating

CTV Vancouver: Arrests made in Surrey cold case IHIT has arrested five people in connection with two separate cold case homicides in Surrey.

Update: On July 13, Khalid Damien Arnaout was found guilty of second-degree murder, and Charles Vincent Chambers was found guilty of manslaughter. Michael Ludwig Yost and Kevin Alexander Pigott were found not guilty.

The family of a man beaten to death in Surrey nearly a decade ago says they can finally look forward to closure now that his alleged killers are in custody.

David Mitchell, then 25, was found critically injured inside a Surrey home in October 2006. Despite efforts to save him, the young man died of his injuries two days later.

On Monday, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team announced that four men were arrested over the weekend in connection with the cold case.

Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound said that homicide investigators worked diligently on the file throughout the years and were assisted by a number of local policing agencies.

“We often say that homicide investigations are lengthy by nature… Those who choose to engage in this horrific crime will be held accountable,” she said.

In a statement given to media, Mitchell’s family described him as a bright, compassionate young man who struggled with drug addiction.

“Dave was taken from us with so much of his light left in him.”

“After enduring eight painful years without answers, we are overjoyed that there is now an opportunity for David to receive the justice he so deserves. As a family, we can finally look ahead to closure and healing.”

Khalid Damien Arnaout, 35, is charged with second-degree murder. Charles Vincent Chambers, 32, Michael Ludwig Yost, 34, and Kevin Alexander Pigott, 32, are each charged with manslaughter and accessory after the fact to murder.