Veltman murder trial: Here's what you need to know before day 35

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

The trial of Nathaniel Veltman, 22, continued Friday with more testimony from a forensic psychiatrist who was questioned by both the defense and Crown on the accused’s state of mind the day of the London, Ont. vehicle attack.The jury also learned Veltman could not argue he is not criminally responsible for his actions due to his mental illnesses. 

Here’s what you missed.

 

WHAT HAPPENED ON FRIDAY?

A Windsor jury learned Friday Nathaniel Veltman cannot argue he is not criminally responsible (NCR) because of his mental illnesses.

Section 16.1 of the Criminal Code of Canada reads, “No person is criminally responsible for an act committed or an omission made while suffering from a mental disorder that rendered the person incapable of appreciating the nature and quality of the act or omission or of knowing that it was wrong.”

Dr. Julian Gojer was hired by defence lawyers for Veltman to assess their client for trial and he was asked by the court to assess Veltman for a possible NCR defence.

“I cannot say Mr. Veltman is NCR,” Gojer testified Friday.

Gojer based his opinion, detailed in a report, on an initial 18-hour interview with Veltman while at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre and various appointments with the accused since then.

Although Gojer has been on the stand off and on since Oct. 24, this is the first time the jury is learning the detail, as it was offered in cross-examination by Crown Attorney Jennifer Moser.

“I didn’t see any aspect of the assessment that impacts on criminal responsibility,” Gojer testified. “To me, it was a fairly easy opinion. He didn’t have a defence [for NCR].”

In his examination in chief by defence lawyer Christopher Hicks, Gojer has told the jury Veltman suffers from several mental illnesses including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), depression, anxiety and complex trauma.

Read the full article from Friday, Nov. 3 here.

WHAT IS EXPECTED IN COURT ON MONDAY?

The trial is set to resume Monday afternoon.

 

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.

 

A RECAP OF WEEK NINE 

Week nine of the murder trial was marred by a sick juror and legal arguments, with testimony and cross examination of a forensic psychiatrist resuming in the latter half of the week.

 

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