Warning: this article may contain content that is distressing for some readers.
After remaining quiet for the entire trial, including his arraignment, Nathaniel Veltman is speaking, after he was called by the defence to testify on his own behalf.
The Veltman trial resumed Thursday morning, a week after the Crown announced that it concluded its case.
Justice Renee Pomerance started the day by inviting the defence to open its case.
Defence Lawyer Christopher Hicks began his opening statement by telling the jury that it would hear from an expert in forensic psychiatry named Dr. Julien Gojer. Gojer is expected to testify about mental health issues including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, psychosis, and complex trauma. Hicks believes he will also provide "compelling evidence" about the effect of hallucinogenic substances.
He added that despite the unfortunate fact that people had died the jury must make their judgement in a "rational and dispassionate manner".
Hicks also told the jury that the burden of proof lies with the Crown in this case and that it must be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Veltman had the intention, including a carefully thought out plan, to kill.
Veltman has been charged with four counts of first degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and corresponding terrorism charges in the deaths and serious injury of five members a Muslim family.
Talat Afzaal, 74, her son Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, and their daughter Yumnah, 15, were all killed on June 6, 2021 when they were run down by a black Dodge pickup truck while out for an evening walk. Their son, who was nine years old at the time, was the only survivor of the collision.
Before Veltman was called to the stand as the defence's first witness, Justice Pomerance had an instruction for the jury regarding Hicks' opening statement.
She said that as Hicks was setting the stage for his case he didn't provide all of the concepts surrounding proving first-degree murder and that they should wait for her full instruction at the end of the case.
When Veltman took the stand he took a solemn affirmation instead of swearing on the Bible.
Hicks began his examination by confirming Veltman's name and date of birth, then he started to ask about his upbringing.
Veltman said he's the second oldest of six children, his older sister is his twin, and that they were raised at the edge of the country in Strathroy.
He then explained to the jury that he and his siblings were homeschooled by their mother using workbooks from "fundamental Christian" organizations. He said that their schooling that was based on "rigid" religious teachings and that they were taught that regular schools were "terrible places" that "brainwashed" kids.
Veltman described his mother as an "extremist" in terms of religion and said that he and his siblings weren't allowed to interact with people who didn't follow her strict set of beliefs, including other family members.
Veltman said he had "a lot of conflicts growing up" especially with his mother. "She didn't know that I had mental issues or autism," he said, adding that she often misunderstood his behaviour as being disrespectful.
Veltman said certain words, talking back, or making weird noises would all result in punishments. When he was younger, Veltman said punishments included spankings, yelling, lectures, and writing lines. He added that as he grew he would often be spanked up to four times a day.
Another punishment that he described as "traumatic" involved his mother showing him pictures of people "burning in hell" and telling him that's where everyone who sinned ended up.
Veltman said if he cried, the punishments would continue because his mother said "he wasn't accepting her discipline" and therefore wasn't accepting the Bible.
"I had to learn to be an expert at hiding my emotions and keeping it all inside," he said.
Veltman said that he developed habits like wetting the bed until he was 11 and chewing the inside of his cheeks in order to cope. He added that he now recognizes those compulsions and coping mechanisms as symptoms of mental illness and autism, but at the time he just thought that there was something wrong with him. He also attributed he social awkwardness to being home schooled.
Another coping mechanism he admitted to was speaking to imaginary people, pretending he was having "positive social interactions" with a friend. He added that he carried this habit into adulthood.
Veltman told the jury that the spanking stopped around the age of 12 and at that point he would be assigned extra chores as punishment. At a certain point he said he would be assigned four hours of chores a day.
"The resentment started to build to the point where I started loathing her, hating her," he said.
Veltman said that around the age of 10 he heard the phrase OCD, meaning Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and thought that the looping, obsessive thoughts he was having about "not thinking evil or violent things" meant he might have the disorder.
Veltman said that he told his mother he believed he needed professional help, but she refused, saying that what was wrong with him was spiritual.
Hicks asked if any effort was made to try to find a "Christian doctor" that his mom felt she could trust, he answered "no".
Veltman told the jury that his younger brothers and sisters were treated differently than him. "In my mind, [she] went easier on them because she realized she was being too harsh," he said.
Hicks asked Veltman about his contact with people outside of his family and what he was allowed to do in his spare time.
Veltman responded that he and his siblings weren't allowed to have video games, watch tv, or use the internet. He added that any music had to be Christian and approved by his mother.
He said when he was older, about high school age, he was able to start attending church group functions and around the age of 15 he was allowed to start riding his bike into town, though he wasn't allowed to go anywhere that wasn't approved by his mother.
At one point, Hicks asked Veltmen if he'd had any jobs while he was growing up.
He said he had a paper route, which caused additional conflict with his mother. Veltman said that if he made any mistakes or had to double-back to any homes his mother would make him give her part of his earnings.
Between the ages of 14 and 16, Veltman said he worked at a grocery store in Strathroy.
When he was 15 he also began working at an egg processing plant. Veltman said he had to bike to that job, or take a taxi as his mother didn't approve of it.
When Hicks asked why she didn't approve of it, Veltman said it was because he had to work on Sundays.
Around Grade 10, Veltman said he told his parents that he didn't want to be homeschooled anymore and asked to go to a public school. He said his parents denied him and called him "ungrateful".
When he was 15 years old Veltman's parents separated and he said he began to feel braver about standing up to her. After his father left, he started asking again about going to a regular school.
He was allowed to attend Strathroy District Collegiate Institute (SDCI) for Grade 11. "She finally relented," Veltman said, though he added that his mother threatened to pull him out if he began to misbehave or rebel.
Hicks confirmed with Veltman that his mother had signed the paperwork to allow him to go to SDCI for Grade 11. He responded that initially she had, but after he turned 16 in December and moved out of her house she refused to sign them for the next semester.
Veltman recalled that by the time he turned 16 his relationship with his mother had deteriorated so much that she allowed him to move into the home of an older couple that she approved of. He said that he didn't stay there very long, because he felt she was "parenting him through them".
He added that when his mother found out he planned to leave is when she refused to sign his school registration. He then sought legal counsel and got emancipated so he could sign his own legal documents.
After moving out of the couple's house, Veltman said he stayed at a friend from school's home for two weeks, then he moved in with a girlfriend.
Veltman told the jury that he lived with the girlfriend for six months and during that time he began experimenting with alcohol.
After their breakup Veltman said he began renting his own apartment. At this point he admitted he allowed the few friends he'd made at school to use it as a "party house" which enabled a period of substance abuse.
Veltman said that to afford the apartment he was working almost full time hours and still going to school. "I was always sleep deprived," he told the jury, which he believes added to his feelings of depression.
Hicks asked Veltman how he got to work at the egg processing plant at this point and he responded that he'd purchased his own car, a Pontiac Wave, when he was 16.
Veltman said he drove that car until 2020, when he blew out the engine while "driving drunk". At this time he had moved to London, to be closer to Fanshawe College, where he was enrolled.
To get back and forth to work he got rides from co-workers, eventually he purchased a black Dodge Ram pick up truck. He added that he was being "freer" with his money, because he'd dropped out of college "until the COIVD stuff was over".
Hicks asked Veltman about buying the extended warranty and grill guard for his truck.
"I had been making foolish decisions, I was being foolish with my car, so I thought the warranty was a good idea," Veltman replied. He said he bought the grill guard because he had gone off-roading with his brother and thought he scratched up the paint and messed up the vehicle's wheel alignment.
Hicks asked Veltman about all of the weapons found in his truck at the time of his arrest. He said he always had a machete in his vehicle for protection and because he liked collecting weapons. The serrated knife was a gift given to him as a survival tool, and the airsoft gun was a hobby, because it's cheaper than paintball.
Veltman added that around the time he started school in September of 2020 he suffered from a "mental decline".
He said he'd started drinking a lot and become paranoid after a bad experience taking hallucinogenic mushrooms. He added that he had "started to become addicted to content on the internet" and was spending six to seven hours a day looking at conspiracy theories.
Veltman said he eventually took time off work, hoping that would help him refocus on school, but it just made his internet habit worse.
Court was then adjourned for the day. It will resume at 10 a.m. on Friday.