This is the final part of a three-part W5 investigation series. Read Part 1 and Part 2.
Watch the W5 investigation “If I’m Ever Found Dead” on our CTV News YouTube channel.
Warning: Graphic content.
Ryan Friesen is a free man in Canada while he appeals his conviction in Mexico for the femicide of his 23-year-old girlfriend Kiara Agnew at an all-inclusive resort in 2023.
If a Mexican court upholds that conviction, Mexico could ask Canada to extradite Friesen to serve his sentence.
Mexico cannot simply order Canada to arrest him. It would have to make a formal extradition request, setting in motion a lengthy legal process in this country.
What happens if Mexico requests extradition?
An extradition request from one country to another is confidential, so there wouldn’t necessarily be an immediate public announcement if Mexico makes one.
“Members of the public won’t know when the Mexican state, or if the Mexican state, makes a request to Canada,” says Toronto extradition lawyer James Bray.
If the request is made, then Canadian authorities would seek an arrest warrant and take Friesen into custody.
Friesen could apply for bail
Being arrested for extradition does not automatically mean Friesen would remain in jail in Canada while the case plays out.
He could apply for bail.
But Bray says bail is often more difficult to obtain in extradition cases than in ordinary criminal cases, particularly when the underlying offence is serious.
“The courts tend to take bail in the extradition context even more seriously,” he said. “Conditions tend to be a lot more onerous.”
A Canadian judge would consider whether the person is likely to appear in court, whether they pose a danger to the public and whether releasing them would undermine public confidence in the administration of justice.
If bail is granted, conditions may include GPS monitoring and house arrest.
Canada would not retry Mexican case
The extradition proceeding in Canada is not a retrial of the evidence in Kiara’s death.
Instead, a Canadian judge would determine whether the legal requirements for extradition have been met. The case would then move to Canada’s federal minister of justice, who makes a final decision.
Extradition orders can be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, but those challenges are often unsuccessful.
“In general, extradition is quite challenging to resist,” Bray said. “The presumption of innocence does not apply.”
Why isn’t Canada already enforcing the Mexican conviction?
The fact that Ryan Friesen has been convicted in Mexico does not mean Canada treats him as someone convicted of a Canadian crime.
Canada does not simply enforce another country’s criminal verdict.
“What happens in the Mexican legal system is very much separate from what happens in Canada,” Bray said.
What happens now?
There is no timeline for when the Mexican court will release its decision on Ryan Friesen’s appeal. The court has had the case for more than four months. But a ruling could still be months, or even years, away.
If the conviction is upheld and the extradition process is finalized in Canada, Friesen would be transferred to Mexico for a sentencing hearing.
The crime of femicide carries a prison term of 50 to 80 years in Mexico.
Ryan Friesen has not responded to repeated requests for comment. His only public statement was in January 2026 when, through his lawyer, he maintained his innocence.
You can read parts 1, 2 and 3 of W5’s previous investigative series on Kiara Agnew’s murder online. You can also watch W5’s “If I’m Ever Found Dead” on CTV News’ YouTube channel.
W5 is the multiplatform investigative unit of CTV News, continuing its decades-long commitment to covering tough, relevant stories.
