Three Indian-Origin Men Guilty of Canadian Couple's First-Degree Murder

Three Indian-origin men, identified as Gurkaran Singh, Abhijeet Singh, and Khushveer Toor, have been found guilty of first-degree murder in the brutal killing of an elderly Canadian couple, Arnold and Joanne De Jong. The verdict was delivered by the British Columbia Supreme Court on Friday, May 8, 2026. The couple, 77-year-old Arnold De Jong and 76-year-old Joanne De Jong, were discovered dead in their Abbotsford residence in May 2022. The horrific scene revealed that Arnold's head and face were wrapped in duct tape, leading to his death by asphyxiation. Joanne was found with blood around her, and court testimony indicated she sustained severe injuries consistent with sharp and blunt force trauma, with one report specifying her throat was slit. Both victims had their hands and feet bound with rope. The prosecution argued, and the court agreed, that the murders were premeditated and financially motivated. The three men had jointly planned to rob and kill the couple, subsequently stealing credit cards, cheques, and a power washer from their home. Evidence presented during the trial included forged cheques, one for $5,600 deposited by Toor and another for $5,100 by Gurkaran, purportedly signed by Joanne De Jong and marked as payment for "house cleanup." Additionally, the stolen pressure washer was allegedly sold. Investigators established a crucial link between the accused and the victims: the three men worked for a cleaning company owned by Abhijeet Singh. This company had previously carried out cleaning work at the De Jongs' home in July 2021 and April 2022, providing the accused with knowledge of the property. Prosecutors highlighted that the motive stemmed from the accused's debt, financial pressure, and greed. All three accused, who are in their 20s, had pleaded not guilty to two counts each of first-degree murder at the start of the trial. The trial, which began in January 2026 and was expected to last about eight weeks, involved extensive circumstantial evidence. This evidence included DNA recovered from the crime scene, rope allegedly used to bind Arnold De Jong, and a metal baseball bat found in the suspects' vehicle. Phone data also revealed that Abhijeet Singh conducted internet searches related to how murderers are punished in Canada after news reports of the killings surfaced. Defence lawyers had argued that the evidence did not definitively prove the killings were planned, suggesting instead that the deaths resulted from a "botched robbery." However, Justice Brenda Brown rejected these arguments, concluding that each accused was a "willing, knowledgeable and integral participant in the murders." She agreed with the prosecution that the murders were indeed financially motivated. Gurkaran Singh, for instance, had arrived in Canada on a student visa less than a month before the killings and was supposed to attend Northern Lights College but never did. The De Jongs were last seen alive on the evening of May 8, 2022, after hosting a Mother's Day family gathering. Concern arose the following morning when they could not be reached, leading their son-in-law to discover Joanne's body and alert the police. The accused were arrested in December 2022, after having fled British Columbia and rented a basement apartment in Surrey where they lived together. Sentencing for Gurkaran Singh, Abhijeet Singh, and Khushveer Toor is scheduled for May 28, 2026. This case has garnered significant attention, particularly in India, due to the origin of the accused and highlights issues of financial desperation and the tragic consequences of planned criminal acts abroad. The Hindustan Times, among other credible sources like The Hindu, PTI, and CBC News, reported on the conviction, underscoring the story's relevance to an Indian audience interested in international crime news involving Indian-origin individuals.

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