A B.C. Supreme Court judge has delivered a verdict in the first-degree murder trial of three men accused of killing an elderly Abbotsford couple during a 2022 home invasion. All three were found guilty, and the details of the killings are sickening.
Brutal Double Murder in B.C.
Arnold De Jong, 77, died by asphyxiation, with his entire head and face wrapped in duct tape, while his 76-year-old wife Joanne was bludgeoned and had her throat slashed. The three accused, Abhijeet Singh, Gurkaran Singh, and Khushveer Toor, who pleaded not guilty, also stole cheques, credit cards, and a power washer. Toor is a foreign national who was in Canada as a visitor, while both Singhs were international students, with Gurkaran arriving just weeks before the murders. Court heard one of the killers searched for news articles about the murders and queried Google about the penalty for murder. The defence claimed the double murder was not planned, arguing for manslaughter.
Good Samaritan Killed in Alberta
Colin Hough, 45, was shot and killed on a rural Alberta highway when he stopped to help on Aug. 6, 2024. Court heard Elijah Strawberry and Arthur Penner were driving a stolen truck that broke down near Chestermere. They are now on trial for second-degree murder. A witness, Matthew Andres, testified he was shot in the arm but survived. He described how Strawberry and Penner pointed a gun at his head and demanded keys. When Hough stopped to help, Andres heard three or four shots and saw a body in a red survey vest lying in the intersection.
New Brunswick Killer Sentenced
Janson Baker, 29, has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 25 years for killing Bernard Saulnier, 78, and his wife Rose-Marie Saulnier, 74, on Sept. 7, 2019. Baker went to murder the couple's son but shot the parents instead. His price tag for the homicides was a gold chain. When asked if he had anything to say, Baker replied, "No, not really, just that it's under appeal and I'll have my day in court." The couple's oldest son, Luc, described his agony: "Shattered. We are shattered." Baker is still serving a prison sentence for shooting a teacher in January 2021.
