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London, Ont. attack: Sentencing hearing for Nathaniel Veltman scheduled for January

Click to play video: 'Veltman guilty of 1st-degree murder in killing of Muslim family'
Veltman guilty of 1st-degree murder in killing of Muslim family
An Ontario jury has found Nathaniel Veltman guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for the 2021 London, Ontario truck attack that killed four members of the Afzaals -- a Muslim family. Jeff Semple looks at the reaction from the victims' family, friends and the Muslim community to the ruling, as well as the sentence Veltman potentially faces – Nov 16, 2023

A sentencing hearing for Nathaniel Veltman, the man who killed four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont., and injured another, has been set for January 2024.

Prosecutors and defence lawyers are scheduled to make their submissions on sentencing in the case on Jan. 4 and 5.

Veltman, 22, was found guilty last month of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for hitting the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk on June 6, 2021.

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The case, which the jury heard over more than two months, was the first where Canada’s terrorism laws were put before a jury in a first-degree murder trial.

The judge overseeing the trial, Justice Renee Pomerance, instructed the jury they could convict Veltman of first-degree murder if they unanimously agreed prosecutors had established he intended to kill the victims, and planned and deliberated his attack.

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She also told the jurors they could reach that same verdict if they found that the killings were terrorist activity.

However, the terror component isn’t a separate charge, and juries don’t explain how they reach their verdict, so it’s unclear what role — if any — the terror allegations played in their decision.

Pomerance may make findings on that issue as part of the sentencing process.

The trial was heard in Windsor, Ont., but the sentencing proceedings will take place in London, the location of the attack.

Before the sentencing hearing, Veltman is due to appear in court by video on Dec. 5.

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