Jury selection for the trial of the London man accused of intentionally running down a Muslim family from London two years ago continues Wednesday morning in a Windsor courtroom.
Fourteen of the required jurors were selected on Tuesday and only two more alternates are needed.
Superior Court Justice Renee Pomerance told the prosecution and defence the jury selection will continue at 9 a.m. Wednesday and then another group of potential jurors will get instructions beginning at 10 a.m. if needed. If not, they'll be released.
Justice Pomerance said the first day of jury selection went well and the trial is expected to start this Friday or Monday, September 11.
Nathaniel Veltman, 22, of London, was arraigned on Tuesday at Superior Court in Windsor and pleaded not guilty to four counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
Veltman sat expressionless between his lawyers as they entered the not guilty pleas.
Four members of the Afzaal family were killed in London on June 6, 2021 while out for a walk that evening. Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Afzaal, and Salman Afzaal’s 74-year-old mother Talat Afzaal were killed when a pickup truck jumped the curb at Hyde Park and South Carriage roads in London and hit them before speeding off.
Their son, whom relatives have requested no longer be named, was the lone survivor. He's 11-years-old now.
Veltman is accused of targeting the family and having right-wing extremist views associated with white supremacy that motivated the attack.
On Tuesday afternoon, potential jurors who qualified to continue in the selection process out of a group of about 100 earlier in the day were asked one by one several questions to screen out potential biases to allow for a fair trial.
A publication ban prevents questions and information from the jury vetting process to be reported.
Earlier in the day, the potential jurors were reminded by Justice Pomerance to only consider evidence presented in court to determine guilt or innocence.
The trial is expected to last between 12 and 14 weeks.
A decision was made to move the trial from London to Windsor, but the reason cannot be made public due to a publication ban.
