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The men accused of a midday double shooting in Whistler in July 2022 have been convicted.
The men accused of a midday double shooting in Whistler in July 2022 have been convicted. A Vancouver jury found Tanvir Khakh and Girsumran Sahota guilty of the first-degree murder of Meninder Dhaliwal Friday night.
It also found Sahota guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of Satindera Gill. Khakh and Sahota face mandatory life sentences for the convictions. First-degree murder comes with a 25-year period of parole ineligibility, and the jury recommended that Sahota serve a minimum of 20 years before becoming parole eligible for the second-degree murder conviction. The jury began its deliberations shortly before 5:30 p.m. Friday and returned roughly 90 minutes later, according to Crown prosecutor Don Montrichard.
On July 24, 2022, just after noon, two men dressed in all black, wearing baseball hats and medical masks, opened fire in the driveway of the Sundial Hotel. Meninder Dhaliwal and Satindera Gill were each shot multiple times and both succumbed to their injuries.
A few minutes after the shooting, a witness to a car fire on nearby Ptarmigan Place told police he had seen two men get into a black Chrysler 200 sedan shortly after the Honda CRV went up in flames. Police would later recover two handguns from that vehicle and link them to the shooting through ballistic testing.
Less than an hour after the shooting, police in Squamish pulled over a vehicle matching the description provided by the car fire witness, and found five men inside, including Sahota and Khakh. Blood on the clothing and shoes of both accused was tested for DNA and found to be a likely match to Dhaliwal. In expert testimony, Dr. Laurie Karchewski told the court there was only a one-in-5.6-quintillion chance the blood splatter came from somebody other than Dhaliwal.
The defence presented no evidence in the trial, as is their right. During closing arguments on Thursday, lawyers for Khakh and Sahota focused on poking holes in the Crown’s theory of the case. They suggested that their clients could have switched clothes and shoes with someone after the killing and before their arrest, perhaps with the intention of contaminating evidence to help those who actually committed the murders.
Related: Defence presents alternate theories as Whistler double murder trial wraps up with closing arguments In finding the defendants guilty, the jury concluded that the Crown had proven its case against them beyond a reasonable doubt. Khakh and Sahota are scheduled to make their next court appearance on Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. to fix a date for a sentencing hearing, according to Montrichard, who said he expects the hearing to occur sometime later in October.
“The Crown wishes to thank the members of the jury for their time, commitment and service, along with Madam Justice Gropper,” Montrichard said, in a statement to CTV News. “The Crown also wishes to recognize the hard work and dedication of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team investigators, along with the efforts of members of the Squamish detachment of the RCMP, who located and stopped a vehicle associated to the shooting incident in Whistler very shortly after it had unfolded.
” “It is hoped that this outcome will provide some closure for the relatives and friends of the victims,” he added. With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ben Miljure
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