Trial for man accused of killing Muslim family in London, Ont. moved to Windsor

The trial of the man accused of killing a Muslim family in London will be heard in Windsor.

As previously reported, the change of venue was granted in July 2022 but a location had not been announced.

“Not a surprise to me from a legal perspective. It’s a high-profile case, a lot of media coverage, national and international,” said lawyer and leader in the London Muslim community Nawaz Tahir. “So not a surprise from a legal perspective that a transfer of venue was done. Probably hard to do a trial in a jurisdiction where you had 10,000 people come together to walk together so from that perspective not a surprise.”

In June 2021, four members of Afzaal family were struck by a pick-up truck as they walked along Hyde Park Road in west London. A young boy was the lone survivor.

Veltman is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

CTV News has confirmed that the trial will proceed on Sept. 5, 2023 at 10 a.m. at the Courthouse in Windsor

“The trial is going to open up some wounds regardless of the geography of the trial,” Tahir said. “So whether it’s London or Windsor or wherever I think it’s going to open up some wounds so, we are just going to have to stick together as a community, not just a Muslim community but a London community as a whole.”

The trial is estimated to take 12 weeks. 

— With files from CTV News London's Nick Paparella