'It’s not an alarm bell for me': Nathaniel Veltman’s mental state questioned at murder trial

WARNING: The video and the details in this article may be disturbing to some viewers

Claiming that he wasn’t in the right state of mind, the defence at the Nathaniel Veltman murder trial in Windsor, Ont. continued to hammer away at that theory during cross examination on Tuesday.

The jury has watched hours of a recorded London Police Service interview between Veltman and Det. Micah Bourdeau after his arrest on June 6, 2021 in connection with the deaths of a London Muslim family.

Defence lawyer Christopher Hicks questioned the officer about Veltman’s mental state while at police headquarters with Bourdeau.

“I didn’t have any concerns...He (Veltman) did say he was a little shaky out of shock...but I had no concerns about his state of mind when we were talking,” Bourdeau testified.

At one point Veltman told the officer that he has had bouts of depression and suicidal thoughts in the past during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hicks questioned the officer about Veltman’s apparent rambling during the interview.

“It’s not a normal situation...I told him I wasn’t going to interrupt him,” Bourdeau said.

The Afzaal family was out walking along Hyde Park Road on the night of June 6, 2021 when they were run over by a black pickup truck.

Four members of the family died — mother Madiha, father Salman, daughter Yumnah, and grandmother Talat. The lone survivor was a nine-year-old son with is now living with relatives.

Veltman was arrested within minutes of the crash at a shopping mall parking lot.

He pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

At one point the officer was asked by the defence if he was startled to learn that Veltman was depressed and had ingested magic mushrooms the day before the crash.

In response, Bourdeau said, “It’s not an alarm bell for me...in his answers he (Veltman) talks about his state on June 6th.”

The Crown’s case continues.