Veltman murder trial: Here’s what you need to know before day 16

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

The trial of Nathaniel Veltman, 22, will not be sitting until Tuesday, Oct. 3.

The court did not provide the jury with a reason as for why they are not sitting Friday, but Justice Renee Pomerance reassured the 14 people this won’t extend the trial's original eight-week estimate.

“We are ahead of schedule,” Justice Pomerance told the jury Thursday morning, when also advised them that they would not be needed on Monday, Oct. 2.

That’s the day Ontario courts will commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

There has now been 13 days of evidence heard in Windsor’s Superior court, with an additional three days occupied with legal arguments in the absence of the jury.

The trial will resume Tuesday at 10 a.m.
 

WHAT HAPPENED ON THURSDAY?

Two investigators from London Police Service’s Digital Forensic Unit testified Thursday.

Detective Jason Eddy and Detective Const. Michael Comeau were both asked to participate in the execution of a search warrant inside Veltman’s downtown London bachelor appointment.

Det. Const. Comeau seized a cellphone found on a bedside table. It had a piece of tape over the camera on the phone.

Det. Eddy seized a laptop, two USB thumb drives, an external hard-drive, and sale documents for the pickup truck used in the attack.

Both investigators explained to the jury how they made “digital forensic images” of all electronic devices to ensure the data on them was not altered or deleted.

The jury also learned an investigator from the Windsor Police Service was asked to look at the data in March 2023 for an “independent review” of the evidence.

Det. Eddy also showed the jury the receipts for a 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck, purchased by Veltman, on May 11, 2021.

The jury learned Veltman took possession of the truck on May 19, 19 days before the fatal collision.

He agreed to pay more than $24,000 plus a one-year warranty on the pickup truck.
 

A RECAP OF WEEK ONE

The murder trial of 22-year-old Nathaniel Veltman officially got underway in a Windsor courtroom more than two years after he allegedly intentionally struck five members of the Afzaal family in London, Ont. with his pickup truck killing four of them, in what’s been called a hate-motivated attack.

Week one saw jury selection get underway and a reduction in the length of the trial after negotiations between the Crown and defence.

A RECAP OF WEEK TWO

Week two of trial heard testimony from a cab driver, 911 dispatcher, a witness to the attack, and a detective from the London Police Service who interviewed the accused.

A RECAP OF WEEK THREE

During the third week of the trial, testimony was heard from officers who were the first to arrive on the scene of the attack, the parking lot where Veltman was arrested, and the jury saw video surveillance(opens in a new tab) and testimony from the detective who was the first to interview the accused.

THE JUNE 6, 2021 ATTACK

On June 6, 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 by a pickup truck in what police allege was a hate-motivated attack.

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. He is now living with relatives.

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

 

— With files from CTV News London's Nick Paparella and CTV News Windsor's Michelle Maluske