One of the three men accused of murdering an elderly Abbotsford, B.C., couple cleaned the home’s roof and gutters in the month before the killing, according to the Crown on the first day of the trial on Monday.
Arnold and Joanne de Jong were found dead in their beds on May 9, 2022.
The day before, they celebrated Mother’s Day in their home with their extended family and that was the last time they were seen alive.
“Next morning, to not be able to get a hold of them and then to arrive at their home to find out that somebody had killed them, it’s like a nightmare,” daughter Sandra Barthel told Global News.
Gurkaran Singh, Abhijeet Singh and Khushveer Toor, all in their early 20s at the time, are now facing first-degree murder charges.
From left to right: Khushveer Toor, Gurkaran Singh and Abhijeet Singh.
Global News
The Crown said that Gurkaran Singh had arrived in Canada three weeks before on an international student visa.
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The court heard on Monday that Abhijeet Singh owned a cleaning company and that the other two men worked for the company.
The Crown’s theory is that while cleaning the de Jong’s home, the suspects knew they were elderly and lived alone.
Until now, the motive for the murders was unknown.
Crown counsel also alleges that the accused stole the couple’s credit cards, cheques and a pressure washer.
The courtroom heard that the couple was found on beds in separate rooms, both with their hands and feet tied up.
Arnold had duct tape covering his eyes, mouth and nose.
“To think of two senior citizens who were innocent and in the sanctuary of their home and hearing some of the details this morning, are just really, really hard,” Barthel said.
She added that this process and these circumstances are surreal and daunting.
“There’s no textbook or manual for what we’re going through, and so sitting in the courtroom today is hard,” she said.
“Our brains comprehend that our parents are gone, but our hearts have just had a really hard time understanding the circumstances, understanding how this can happen to such loving parents of ours, and so it’s hard, today is the first day that we actually see the people who are accused.”
Daughter Kimberley Coleman said their parents were wonderful people who gave so much to everyone who knew them.
“They were wonderful people,” she said. “They were caring, they were loving, they gave so much to us. They were honourable.”
Barthel said that it is unbelievable that something so shocking could happen to them.
“I think everybody should take notice that the world that we live in is there’s evil, and despite that, we’re trying to remember the blessings that they were to us,” she added.
The de Jongs were beloved in the community, with so many people attending the first day of the trial on Monday that an overflow room had to be opened.
Pastor Bert Slofstra said he knew the couple for 27 years and their deaths were a huge shock to the congregation.
“They are old-time, long-time members, not only of the church, but also of the Abbotsford community,” he said.
“It’s a very tight-knit family. And at the funeral service as well, I mean, the place was packed, just because there were so many people who knew and loved them.”
Prosecutors are expected to present DNA, cellphone and financial records linking the suspects to the murder.
The trial is expected to last eight weeks.
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