Inside the courtroom, new illumination was shed on the ongoing trial of Nathaniel Veltman. Captivated, the Windsor jury leaned in to absorb the freshly poured details concerning the evidence seized from the dwelling place of the accused.
Veltman, barely out of his early twenties, has vociferously proclaimed his innocence regarding four charges of first-degree murder and an additional count of attempted murder, all charges purportedly fuelled by terroristic motivations. Somewhat contrarily, he has confessed to being at the wheel of a 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck on the fateful day of June 6th, 2021, when the Afzaal family found themselves on the direct path of the oncoming vehicle.
On that grim day, the Afzaals were patiently waiting to traverse Hyde Park Road at South Carriage Road, situated in the western sphere of the city. The horrific aftermath saw four souls claimed – the elderly Talat, her son Salman, his wife Madiha, and their young daughter Yumnah. Their nine-year-old son, bearing the brunt of serious injuries, was the sole survivor.
With an air of anticipation blanketing the courtroom on Thursday, the jury was made privy to additional details surrounding evidence recovered from Veltman’s dwelling six days post-incident on June 12th, 2021.
Testimonials emerged from Sgt. Jason Eddy and Detective Const. Michael Comeau, both accomplished members of the London Police Service’s Digital Forensic Unit. They presented concrete testament to blooming revelations, analyzing documents, and substantiating the transfer of ownership and financial details of a 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck.
Evidence presented to the jury revealed Veltman paid a significant sum of over $24,000 for the pickup, with an initial $2,000 rolled out in advance on the 11th of May, 2021. The vehicle came into his possession by the 19th May 2021. In an effort to hedge his investment, Veltman procured a year-long warranty for the truck.
The jury meeting culminated with knowledge of a number of electronic devices seized from Veltman’s minimally furnished downtown bachelor apartment; a cellphone, laptop, two USB drives and an external hard drive.
Jury members watched as Sgt. Eddy spoke of the neatness of the apartment, his focus quickly shifting to touch upon the laptop, USB drives, and hard drive, all of which he had seized. Det. Const. Comeau mentioned the confiscation of the cellphone.
Both officers informed the jury in a detailed manner about their meticulous approach to extracting the data from the digital devices while avoiding any alteration or data loss. High-end tech software enabled the investigators to generate a ‘digital forensic copy,’ proving indispensable in their quest for truth.
As Thursday’s proceedings drew to a close, the jury was notified that the information drawn from Veltman’s electronic devices had been sent to an independent forensic examiner at Windsor Police Service in March 2023 for inspection.
The nature of the findings on Veltman’s electronic devices remained undisclosed, leaving the jury and spectators alike, riddled with curiosity.
Granting an early release to the jury for the approaching long weekend, Justice Renee Pomerance adjourned the court on Thursday. The absence of court proceedings was announced for Friday, Sept. 29 and Monday, Oct. 1, as a mark of respect for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The quest for justice will resume, and the gavel will resound again on Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 10 a.m.
