The three Indian men were accused of killing an elderly couple, as the trial in the 2022 double murder case continues in British Columbia. Dorothy Tsui, the Crown prosecutor, alleged that they were motivated by debt, financial pressure, and greed. For the first time, family members and friends heard the full details exposed in the courtroom about how the police found the De Jongs. The three men have pleaded not guilty to two counts each of first-degree murder.
What is the Double Murder Case?
The couple in their 70s, Arnold De Jong, 77, and his wife Joanne De Jong, 76, living in Abbotsford, were found dead in their beds on May 9, 2022. The couple was last seen in the evening a day before they celebrated Mother’s Day at their home with extended family members. When concerned family members could not reach them the next morning, a son-in-law checked on them and found them lying dead in their bed, with their hands and feet bound with rope.
“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,” said their daughter, Sandra Barthel.
The case was initially determined as a homicide by the police, and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) took over the investigation.
Three Indians Accused: Who are the 3 Indian Accused?
Crown prosecutor Dorothy Tsui alleged that the three Indian men, Abhijeet Singh, Gurkaran Singh, and Khushveer Singh Toor, were behind the conspiracy to murder the couple. Tsui said the three men were connected to the couple through Abhijeet Singh’s cleaning company, which had provided services at the couple’s home in July 2021 and April 2022.
The other suspect, Gurkaran Singh, arrived in Canada on a student visa on April 16, 2022, less than a month before the alleged crime.
Evidence was added to the Crime Scene
Both Gurkaran Singh and Khushveer Singh Toor deposited cheques worth more than $5,000 into their bank accounts, which were purportedly signed by Joanne De Jong shortly after the killings. Both cheques stated in their memo lines that the payments were made for house cleaning.
“While processing the scene, a forensic identification officer heard a voicemail being left on the De Jongs’ landline phone, indicating suspicious transactions on a credit card,” she said.
Later, police followed up on the lead and used banking and phone records to identify the accused
