The trial of three Indian-origin men accused of the first-degree murders of Abbotsford seniors Arnold De Jong, 77, and Joanne De Jong, 76, has begun in the B.C. Supreme Court, with prosecutors alleging the killings were fuelled by debt, financial pressure and greed.
Gurkaran Singh, Abhijeet Singh and Khushveer Singh Toor have each pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.
The couple were found dead in their Abbotsford home on May 9, 2022, a day after hosting family for Mother’s Day celebrations. When relatives were unable to reach them by phone the following morning, a son-in-law went to the house and made the grim discovery before contacting police.
In opening statements at the Abbotsford Law Courts, the Crown told the judge that Arnold and Joanne De Jong were found in separate bedrooms with their hands and feet bound. Arnold De Jong’s head had been tightly wrapped in duct tape, while Joanne De Jong was discovered with severe head injuries. A forensic pathologist is expected to testify that Joanne died from blunt-force trauma, while Arnold died from asphyxiation.
Prosecutors allege the three men were connected to the couple through a cleaning company owned by Abhijeet Singh, which had previously carried out work at the De Jongs’ home. The Crown says evidence will show the accused were aware the elderly couple lived alone.
The court heard that, shortly after the killings, cheques for more than $5,000 — allegedly signed by Joanne De Jong and listing “clean up of house” in the memo line — were deposited into bank accounts linked to two of the accused. Investigators were alerted to possible financial irregularities after a voicemail warning of suspicious credit card activity was left on the couple’s home answering machine.
The Crown also outlined the background of Gurkaran Singh, telling the court he arrived in Canada on a student visa less than a month before the killings and was expected to attend college in Dawson Creek, but never enrolled.
Police officers who first attended the scene gave emotional testimony describing what they found inside the home, as family members listened from a packed courtroom. Outside court, the couple’s daughters said the details have been harrowing but stressed their parents were loving, generous people deeply embedded in the Abbotsford community.
The judge-alone trial is expected to run for approximately eight weeks, with the Crown planning to call more than two dozen witnesses, including forensic experts and financial investigators. Defence counsel have not yet presented their case.
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