Trigger Warning: The article contains graphic details of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Three men of Indian origin working for a cleaning company were found guilty of robbing and murdering an elderly Canadian couple, in a case investigators described as particularly gruesome. Arnold and Joanne De Jong spent their final waking moments with their three daughters on the eve of Mother’s Day in May 2022. However, the family wasn’t aware that it would be the last day they would spend together.
Following the jovial day with the family, the couple went to sleep. Later that night, Abhijeet Singh, Khushveer Toor, and Gurkaran Singh broke into the couple’s home. According to the Times Colonist, the three men had previously cleaned the couple’s house on multiple occasions. The killing occurred on the night of May 8 when the three men allegedly tied the couple to their bed, murdered them, and then stole credit cards, checks, and a power washer from the home.
Arnold De Jong, 77, was found dead the next morning alongside his wife, Joanne, aged 76. Arnold’s face was wrapped in duct tape, with the official cause of death being attributed to asphyxiation. Joanne, on the other hand, had her throat slashed and was “bludgeoned to death.” The couple’s hands and legs were bound by rope to prevent them from escaping.
Following the killings, the three men “hastily” fled the scene and used the stolen credit cards to pay their bills the next morning. DNA evidence of the three men was found throughout the scene, which linked them to the gruesome murder. Prosecutor statements have revealed that the men also attempted to cash the checks by making payments to each other.
Once the news of the killings was on the internet, Abhijeet Singh conducted “exceptionally damning” internet searches regarding the murder. He went through a slew of articles reading about the killings and even researching how murderers are prosecuted in Canada.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Brenda Brown declared the three men guilty, four years after the murder. “I find each accused was a willing, knowledgeable and integral participant in the murders,” Brown said in her statement. She also revealed that all three men are equally guilty of the crime.
Brown revealed that “no matter who, in fact, inflicted the mortal injuries,” the three men are set to share “equal culpability.” Kimberley Coleman, one of De Jong’s three daughters, shared her thoughts on the gruesome murder. “They were people that could never be replaced,” the daughter said. “They had so many things about them that were so special to us that we miss every day. It’s so bittersweet. We have this first-degree conviction for all three suspects on both counts. But yet we still grieve, so it’s a mixed bag of feelings.”
