As week three of Nathaniel Veltman’s trial got underway, members of the jury were being taken through various steps of the investigation conducted by the London Police Service.
Veltman pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder after the truck he was driving hit five members of the Afzaal family on the evening of June 6, 2021.
Talat Afzaal, 74, her son Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, and their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Afzaal were all killed. Their then 9-year-old son was the only survivor.
A number of photos were entered into evidence including photos of the Dodge Ram pick-up truck at the scene of Veltman’s arrest and the towing facility used by the London Police Service.
Traces of DNA of three members of the family were found on the hood or front of the truck. There were also pieces of clothing worn by Talat Afzaal and Madiha Salman found on the vehicle. These facts were agreed upon by both the crown and defence attorneys.
On the inside of Veltman’s truck, officers found his driver’s license, a bank card, a machete, an airsoft rifle that looked like a handgun, and two knives. These items were seized and entered into evidence by police investigators.
At an earlier time in the trial, the crown and defence agreed that the truck that hit the family belonged to Veltman and he was driving at the time of the collision.
The focus of the examination then shifted to the search of Veltman’s apartment. Initial evidence shows that one officer, Detective Constable Richard Veerman, entered the apartment and took photographs of everything as it was before a search was conducted by police.
The photos showed personal effects strewn throughout the apartment, opened drawers in a wooden cupboard, open drawers in the kitchen, and an overflowing garbage can.
There was a computer and a phone on a charger on a desk next to a bed. The camera on the computer and the phone both appeared to be covered in blue tape. There were at least two USBs in plain view in the apartment.
The trial will continue on Tuesday with the cross-examination of Detective Veerman.