The man accused of murdering four members of a London, Ont., Muslim family and attempting to kill their young child returned to court for a brief appearance on Wednesday that saw the matter pushed back another two weeks.
Nathaniel Veltman, 20, of London, faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in a set of charges that are linked to June’s vehicle attack in the city’s northwest end.
Local police say the victims were targeted based on their religion and Crown prosecutors allege that Veltman’s offences were terrorism.
Wednesday’s court hearing saw Veltman appear virtually from the confines of Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC), a jail in south London.
He wore a face mask, along with orange prison attire and with his hair having grown a noticeable amount since his first appearance in June.
A representative for his lawyer, Christopher Hicks, who identified herself as S. Ahn, told the court that more time is needed to receive additional disclosure, including a “vehicle analysis.”
Jennifer Moser, an assistant Crown attorney assigned to the case, added that two sets of disclosure have already been sent to the Crown and that a third will be coming shortly.
“The third wave of disclosure will have the vehicle analysis being requested by my friend,” Moser said.
The court ruled to have the case resume on Oct. 6.
Veltman remains in custody at EMDC in the meantime.
The ongoing court case surrounds what marks the deadliest mass murder in London’s history.
On the evening of June 6, five members of a local family were out for a walk in the city’s Hyde Park neighbourhood before they were run over by a pickup truck.
Salman Afzaal, 46, his 44-year-old wife Madiha Salman, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna, and her 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal, were killed in the attack.
The couple’s nine-year-old son, Fayez, was left seriously injured.
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