LIVE: Nathaniel Veltman guilty of first-degree murder in Afzaal deaths
Nathaniel Veltman has been found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder.
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The jury has reached a verdict to mark the end of the two-month trial of Nathaniel Veltman, who struck and killed four members of the Afzaal family and injured a fifth in a June 6, 2021, hit-and-run. Read our full story here.
4:32 p.m. London police Chief Thai Truong and Ali Chahbar, chair of the police services board, release a statement on the conviction of Nathan Veltman for the “brutal murder” of four members of the Afzaal family: “Today, in a Windsor courtroom, justice has been served. The convictions on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder represent not just a legal closure, but a testament to the thoroughness and fairness of our justice system. While no verdict or sentence can ever fully heal the pain of losing Yumnah, Madiha, Salman, and Talat (the four Afzaal family members killed), we are gratified that the jury’s decision brings some measure of justice to their loved ones and to a community still in mourning.”
3:34 p.m. Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal of the London Muslim Mosque speaks to reporters after Nathaniel Veltman was found guilty of first-degree murder in the June 6, 2021 attack on the Afzaal family in northwest London. (Mike Hensen/The London Free Press)
3:20 p.m. Omar Khamissa, COO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, was blunt about Nathaniel Veltman. “His name will end up on the trash pile of history, a man who was less than a man.”
Khamissa added: “I pray that this decision allows remaining family members a slight relief after a horrible burden of having to sit through the horrors of that trial, of the evil that was revealed inside that courtroom.”
3:15 p.m. Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal of the London Muslim Mosque spoke with reporters outside the Windsor courthouse. “We are grateful and appreciate the efforts of the prosecutors, and the patience of the jury. Our community wanted accountability, and the Canadian justice system delivered.”
3:03 p.m. Madiha Salman’s mother, Tabinda Bukhari, spoke with reporters. “We, the relatives of our beloved London family . . . wish to convey our gratitude for the support and solidarity expressed during these last two-and-a-half difficult years.”
She added: “This wasn’t a crime against the Muslim community, but rather an attack against the safety and security of all Canadians.”
2:40 p.m. The National Council of Canadian Muslims released the following statement:
2:30 p.m. Defence lawyer Christopher Hicks says his client is in shock after the verdict. He plans to discuss a possible appeal with Veltman.
2:17 p.m. LFP has covered the trial from start to finish over the past two months. To read our full coverage, click right here.
2:07 p.m. Three of London’s four MPPs are New Democrats. Together, they issued a statement following the verdict. It read in part: “Today’s verdict brings well-deserved justice for the Afzaal family and the London community. Our hearts are with the Afzaal family and their loved ones today. We are thinking of everyone in the community as we continue to mourn this loss together.”
2:02 p.m. Prosecutors relied heavily on the two London police interviews of Nathaniel Veltman in the hours after his arrest, especially the first one. You can watch it here:
1:55 p.m. London’s mayor, Josh Morgan, was a ward councillor representing an area near the murder scene when the killings occurred in June 2021. He has issued a statement after the verdict, reading in part: “Each of us has an obligation, as individuals and as a society, to combat and confront hatred in all its forms. This verdict does not absolve us of that responsibility. Instead, it must serve as an eternal reminder of the need to remain committed to this effort so that it never happens again.”
1:52 p.m. A press conference is expected soon outside the Windsor courthouse. Crown prosecutors are likely to speak and it’s possible members of the Afzaal family will also deliver a statement, but not take questions.
1:48 p.m. Politicians have started weighing in on the verdict, including a Toronto-area MP:
1:42 p.m. Regarding sentencing, there’s a mandatory sentence of life with no chance of parole for 25 years. But the judge must also make findings of fact – where she will rule whether this was an act of terrorism.
1:40 p.m. The Crown says the Afzaals’ loved ones want sentencing to take place in London. Dec. 22 was suggested as a date for sentencing but the defence is unavailable. The matter will return to assignment court in Windsor on Dec. 1.
1:36 p.m. The judge has thanked the jurors for their two-month commitment to the trial. “It’s been a long trial and a challenging trial.”
1:33 p.m. The jury is polled. Each says with some force that they “agree” with the verdict. Veltman won’t look at them and is instead staring straight ahead, his face blank.
1:31 p.m. Veltman has been found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder. That has elicited soft sobs in the courtroom.
1:28 p.m. The judge has asked those in attendance to not react when the jury delivers its verdict, though she says she understands it will be an emotional moment. The 12 jurors have entered the courtroom; none made eye contact with Veltman.
1:25 p.m. A stunning detail that jurors didn’t hear during the trial but which can now be publicly reported: A copy of Adolf Hitler’s 1925 manifesto, Mein Kampf, was found in Veltman’s downtown London apartment by police.
1:18 p.m. The judge, Renee Pomerance, is about to enter the courtroom. There is a hushed silence. Veltman is in the courtroom, dressed all in black. He stared at the floor throughout his walk back to the defence table.
1:12 p.m. Among those in attendance for the jury verdict is Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal. The Veltman deaths stunned the local Muslim community, sparking a mid-pandemic vigil that drew some 10,000 to the London Muslim Mosque. The courtroom is nearly full, mostly with friends and family of the Afzaals.
1:05 p.m. The courtroom in Windsor where the trial has been held is beginning to fill back up amid word of the jury’s verdict. It’s expected to be delivered at 1:15 p.m. Tissues were handed out to those entering the courtroom.
