Three Indian-origin men have been found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of a Canadian couple in Abbotsford, British Columbia, in 2022. The verdict was delivered on Friday by the British Columbia Supreme Court following a high-profile trial involving the deaths of elderly couple Arnold and Joanne De Jong.

The victims, aged 77 and 76 respectively, were discovered dead inside their home on Arcadian Way on May 9, 2022. According to court proceedings, Arnold De Jong died of asphyxiation after his head and face were wrapped in duct tape, while Joanne De Jong was found with fatal throat injuries. Investigators also found that both victims’ hands and feet had been tied with rope.

Justice Brenda Brown ruled that Gurkaran Singh, Abhijeet Singh and Khushveer Toor each played a “willing, knowledgeable and integral” role in the killings. The court accepted the prosecution’s argument that the murders were financially motivated and rejected defence claims that the deaths occurred during a robbery gone wrong.Prosecutors presented largely circumstantial evidence linking the accused to the crime scene.

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This included DNA evidence, rope allegedly used to restrain one of the victims, and a metal baseball bat recovered from a vehicle connected to the suspects. The three accused, all in their 20s, had pleaded not guilty during the trial.Court proceedings also revealed that the convicted men had worked for a cleaning company owned by Abhijeet Singh, which had previously carried out work at the De Jong residence on multiple occasions.

Investigators argued that the accused were familiar with the home and its occupants before the killings took place.The court is scheduled to announce sentencing on May 28. Under Canadian law, a conviction for first-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence, though the court will determine parole eligibility and related legal conditions during the sentencing phase.

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