Trial for man accused of killing London, Ont., Muslim family to start Monday in Windsor after jury finalized

Opening statements in the murder-terror trial of a 22-year-old man accused of killing four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont., will begin on Monday in Windsor after jury selection was completed. 

Nathaniel Veltman has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the attack on the Afzaal family on June 6, 2021. 

He was arrested in the hours following the attack. The murder charges also include terrorism counts. That means Crown prosecutors must prove his actions were planned and deliberate, but also motivated by a political, religious or ideological cause. 

Yumnah Afzaal, 15, her parents, Madiha Salman, 44, and Salman Afzaal, 46, and family matriarch Talat Afzaal, 74, were killed. A nine-year-old boy survived. 

Lengthy trial

This week, 14 people plus two alternates were selected as jurors for the trial, which is expected to last three months.

The presiding judge, Superior Court Justice Renee Pomerance, has called some potential jurors back to the court for the start of the trial Monday in case any of the chosen jurors are unable to serve. 

There is a publication ban on anything heard outside the presence of the jury, including the reasons the trial is being held in Windsor, about 200 kilometres west of London.