LONDON, Ont. - A sentencing hearing is set to begin today for a man who killed four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont.
Nathaniel Veltman, 23, was found guilty in November of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for hitting the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk on June 6, 2021.
His trial was heard in Windsor, Ont., but the sentencing proceedings including the delivering of victim impact statements - will be taking place in London, where the attack took place.
Forty-six-year-old Salman Afzaal; his 44-year-old wife, Madiha Salman; their 15-year-old daughter, Yumna; and her 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal, were killed, while the couple's nine-year-old son was seriously hurt but survived.
The attack devastated the city and triggered national calls to combat Islamophobia.
Veltman's trial was the first where Canada's terrorism laws were put before a jury in a first-degree murder trial.
Justice Justice Renee Pomerance, left to right, Nathaniel Veltman, defence lawyers Peter Ketcheson and Christopher Hicks attend court during Veltman's trial in Windsor, Ont., as shown in this Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023 courtroom sketch. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alexandra Newbould)