The trial for a Calgary man accused of stabbing his ex-wife and her friend to death was delayed for a second time Friday.
Hari Pal is charged with two counts of second-degree murder for the May 2014 deaths of his estranged wife, Sanjula Devi, and her friend, Fahmida Velji Visram.
READ MORE: Sole survivor of deadly southeast stabbing spree speaks out
Pal was originally scheduled to stand trial Sept. 12. Earlier this summer, trial was postponed until Sept. 19 to allow time for a 30-day psychiatric evaluation.
GALLERY: Memorial created at site of southeast stabbing spree
Now, an additional 30 days has been requested by his assigned physician, Dr. David Tano of the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre.
Velji Visram’s family can’t believe there’s another delay.
“It’s extremely frustrating. It just gets pushed back further and further,” Velji Visram’s husband, Rahim Visram, told Global News.
“I saved vacation days so I could be there and at least put this to rest. I can understand why people get frustrated with the legal system. You don’t understand it until it happens to you.”
Visram’s life was shattered when his wife of less than two years was brutally murdered.
She was helping her friend gather some belongings from her home May 4, 2014 when they were attacked. Both women were stabbed to death.
The Crown’s eyewitness in the case is a 12-year-old girl.
Pal is also charged with the attempted murder of his landlord, who tried to intervene in the attack.
A hearing will be held Oct. 31 to determine if Pal is fit to stand trial.
Dr. Tano will present his report on Pal at the hearing.
A new trial has been scheduled for two weeks beginning Dec. 4, 2017, but whether that will proceed will depend on the outcome of the fitness hearing.
For Visram, it’s just another delay on the long road to healing.
“I’m just looking for justice to be served so I can move on with my life and say this is closed,” he said.
Comments