Jury selection underway in Nathaniel Veltman murder trial

Jury selection got underway at the Windsor Superior Courthouse for the trial of a 22-year-old man charged with killing three generations of a London Muslim family with his pickup truck.

In June of 2021, five members of the Afzaal family were out for a summer walk along Hyde Park Road in west London when they were run down.

Four people died, including father Salman, mother Madiha, 15-year-old daughter Yumna, and grandmother Talat.

The lone survivor was a nine-year-old boy who was injured, and has since recovered and is now living with relatives.

Moments after the crash, London police arrested and charged Nathaniel Veltman. He has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

At the time, police and politicians called the incident hated motivated.

Before the proceedings got underway, the National Council of Canadian Muslims addressed the media on hand.

Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal said, “Over the next several months as this trial takes place our hope is that in the end justice will be served. Our hope is that we can continue to heal as a community and will achieve a level of closure.”

The trial was moved from London to Windsor after a change of venue was granted by Justice Renee Pomerance.

Jury selection started on Tuesday and is expected to continue on Wednesday with testimony commencing once all of the jurors are in place.