WARNING: This story contains disturbing details. Discretion is advised.
Closing arguments were heard at the trial of three men accused of murdering an elderly Abbotsford, B.C., couple four years ago.
Arnold and Joanne De Jong were found dead in their home in May 2022 and Gurkaran Singh, Abhijeet Singh and Khushveer Toor were arrested in December 2022, with all three pleading not guilty in the case.
Bank records showed that just hours before the killings, items such as a baseball bat and disposable gloves were purchased by one of the accused from Home Depot and Canadian Tire.
On Friday, the court heard how Gurkaran Singh, Abhijeet Singh and Khushveer Toor entered the home and worked together to trap the couple in separate rooms, tie them up and inflict mortal injuries.
Prosecutors said that DNA, cellphone and bank records link all three suspects to the double murder.
“Our parents would have just given the money over,” the De Jongs’ daughter, Kimberley Coleman, said.
“There was no reason to kill our parents.”
The Crown says the three accused had gone to the couple’s home to do cleaning work before the murders, and they “hastily” left British Columbia shortly afterwards, fleeing to Brampton, Ont.
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Crown said the three accused knew the couple lived alone and made a collective decision to conduct an armed home invasion, “hence the need for ropes and a softball bat.”
Heavy-duty shop towels were purchased with the “expectation the De Jongs’ blood would be shed,” Crown said.
“It’s incomprehensible, it’s horrific,” daughter Sandra Barthel said.
“It still seems like we’re living in a horror movie.”
The three accused stole credit cards and bank cheques, the Crown claims, and worked immediately to “financially capitalize on the De Jongs’ deaths” by cooperatively spending the victims’ money.
Crown said more than $10,000 was stolen from the De Jongs’ bank account and some of the money was used to secure a new Surrey rental unit.
Abhijeet Singh also sent news articles on the double murder to an acquaintance and Googled queries on “punishment of murderers in Canada.”
“It was shocking that that is the first thing somebody would do, but it also brought us some relief in terms of having evidence that could be used in a circumstantial case such as this,” Barthel said.
Final submissions at the judge-alone trial will continue next week.
–with files from The Canadian Press
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