Nathaniel Veltman trial may be shortened

Testimony at the first-degree murder trial of Nathaniel Veltman is expected to commence at the Windsor Superior Courthouse on Monday.

CTV News has learned that the trial, which was scheduled to last 12 to 14 weeks, may only take half the allotted time. This comes after the Crown and the defence met this week to go over the list of witnesses.

“The prosecution initially proposed to call 40 plus witnesses. So, as a precaution, we set aside three months for the trial just to make sure we could accommodate it, so we could tell the jurors how much time they would be required to donate to the community,” said Christopher Hicks, the lawyer for Nathaniel Veltman. “But after some intense negotiations, we are cutting down the number of witnesses that are going to be called and so now we think that we can do this trial in about half that time.”  

Veltman faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

He is charged in connection with the deaths of three generations of a London, Ont. Muslim family.

In June of 2021, the Afzaal family was out on a walk along Hyde Park Road in west London when they were struck by a pick-up truck.  A mother, father, 15-year-old daughter, and grandmother all died.  The lone survivor was a 9-year-old boy who is now 11 and living with relatives.

At the time, police called the incident hate-motivated.

As a defence lawyer, Hicks, who works out of Toronto, has been involved in a number of high-profile cases including the Bandidos Biker murders, which took place southwest of London.

He is aware that this is another case that will be closely watched.

“It is a notorious case already,” said Hicks. “It’s very interesting with four counts of first degree murder and a terrorism charge as well...so it’s going to be a groundbreaking case in many ways.”