BC Judge to Rule Today in Abbotsford Murder Trial

A British Columbia Supreme Court judge is set to deliver her verdict today in the first-degree murder trial of three men accused of killing an elderly Abbotsford couple during a home invasion in 2022.

The judge-alone trial centered on Abhijeet Singh, Gurkaran Singh and Khushveer Toor, all in their 20s, who have pleaded not guilty. The bodies of 77-year-old Arnold De Jong and 76-year-old Joanne De Jong were discovered in their Abbotsford home in May 2022. Arnold De Jong died by asphyxiation after his head and face were wrapped entirely in duct tape. His wife suffered blunt force trauma and had her throat slashed.

Prosecutors alleged the three men, who had previously performed cleaning work at the De Jongs' residence, entered the home to commit a robbery. They killed the couple and stole cheques, credit cards and a power washer, according to court proceedings. Evidence included one accused accessing news articles about the killings and conducting Google searches on the punishment for murder in Canada, which prosecutors described during the trial as exceptionally damning.

Defence lawyers maintained the evidence did not demonstrate premeditation. They characterized the incident as a...