B.C. man convicted of killing pregnant wife granted day parole

A former Surrey, B.C., teacher who was convicted of killing his pregnant wife and burning her body in 2006 has now been granted day parole.

Mukhtiar Panghali was convicted of killing Manjit Kaur Panghali and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years.

He has now been granted six months day parole to a community correctional centre, which the federal government describes as “a federally operated community-based residential facility that provides a structured living environment with 24-hour supervision, programs and interventions for the purpose of safely reintegrating offenders into the community.”

A decision released by the Parole Board of Canada says Panghali underwent a psychological assessment in 2020 and it was found that he was “a low risk for violent offending while on unescorted temporary absences (UTAs) and a low-moderate risk while on day parole.”

He has been living in a minimum security facility for about five years without any significant adjustment issues, the parole board said.

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“You are reported to have had a ‘couple’ of placements in segregation, most recently in 2014 due to suspicions of being involved in the drug subculture. You incurred a few charges most recently in 2016 due to the use of drugs and then attempting to subvert urinalysis testing by having a bleach bottle in your underwear. This resulted in a delay of your transferring to minimum security for about a year.”

The board states there have not been further issues since that time.

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Under special conditions, Panghali is not to consume alcohol; not to consume drugs; to have no contact with victims; and he must report relationships with females and any attempts to initiate one as well as not to reside without another person without the prior knowledge and written approval of his parole supervisor.

Panghali and his wife had one daughter together who was three years old when her mother was killed.

Global News attempted to reach out to Manjit’s family but did not hear back.