Veltman murder trial: Here’s what you need to know before day 33

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

A juror was released from the Nathaniel Veltman murder trial on Monday due to COVID-19, while a forensic psychiatrist testifying for the defence continued his testimony.

Here’s what you missed.

 

WHAT HAPPENED ON MONDAY?

The jury hearing the case against Nathaniel Veltman, 22, is now down to 13 members after a juror was released from Windsor’s Superior Court Monday morning.

Justice Renee Pomerance told the jury on Monday the sick juror cannot return until they test negative, and since they don’t know how long that will take, the juror was removed.

This is the start of the ninth week for the trial, the eighth week of evidence.

The case remains in the hands of the defence, who brought forensic psychiatrist Dr. Julian Gojer back to testify again Monday.

Gojer first started late in the day on Oct. 24, and he has been testifying off and on ever since about mental illnesses Veltman suffers from, including depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, depression, complex trauma disorder, anxiety and personality disorder.

He is also offering advice about the impact of psilocybin usage on those illnesses. Gojer said the hallucinogenic drug can make feelings stronger — be they happy or sad.

The jury has heard evidence Veltman consumed three grams of psilocybin around 3 a.m. on June 5, 2021 – the day before the attack on the Afzaal family.

 

WHAT IS EXPECTED IN COURT ON TUESDAY?

The defense is expected to continue presenting its case on Tuesday.

 

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 drove into five members of the Afzaal family in London, 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 the defence.

 

A RECAP OF WEEK TWO

Week two of trial heard testimony from a cab driver, 9-1-1 dispatcher, a witness to the attack, and a detective from the London Police Service who interviewed the accused.

 

A RECAP OF WEEK THREE

Testimony was heard during week three 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 and testimony from the detective who was the first to interview the accused.

 

A RECAP OF WEEK FOUR

During the fourth week of the trial, the jury heard testimony from forensic investigators who examined the apartment and pickup truck of the accused in the days after the attack and from the arresting officer.

 

A RECAP OF WEEK FIVE

The prosecution rested its case during the fifth week of the trial after calling a digital forensic expert with the Windsor Police Service and reading to the jury excerpts of Veltman’s manifesto.

 

A RECAP OF WEEK SIX

During a shortened sixth week of the trial due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the jury heard from the accused who took the stand as the defence’s first witness. The court heard about Veltman’s state of mind, his upbringing and childhood, and his history of suicidal thoughts and drug use.

 

A RECAP OF WEEK SEVEN

During week seven the accused took the stand in his own defence and underwent cross examination by the Crown, where he admitted to running down five members of the Afzaal family with his truck.

 

A RECAP OF WEEK EIGHT

The accused concluded his testimony while the defence brought in their second witness, a forensic psychiatrist, during the eighth week of the trial.

 

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 Nathaniel Veltman, now 22 years of age. 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