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The man accused of deliberately killing a Muslim family in London in 2021 has wrapped up his testimony after a week on the stand, but not without some legal tug of war first.
Nathaniel Veltman, 22, was finally re-examined by the defence in Ontario Superior Court in Windsor late Tuesday afternoon following five hours of legal arguments between the prosecution, defence, and the judge without the jury present and therefore cannot be reported under a publication ban.
The defence had Veltman confirm he told a psychiatrist at the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre on June 9, 2021 after his arrest that he was in a dreamlike state for three days and was depersonalized and detached from reality after taking magic mushrooms on June 5, 2021, one day before the truck attack that killed the Afzaal family, adding he finally came down on June 8, 2021.
The defence wanted to rebut Crown suggestions on Monday that Veltman changed aspects of his story over the last two years and came up with a new version to help himself live with what he did to the Afzaals. The prosecution also suggested that Veltman intended to kill Muslims and planned the attack.
The jury was then instructed by Justice Renee Pomerance that it's up to them to weigh Veltman's video statements to London police during an interview on June 7, 2021 and testimony in his own defence at his trial this week and consider the differences between the two sources of evidence and their reliability.
Pomerance also told the jury that statements made by Veltman to the psychiatrist at the jail on June 9, 2021 are not admissible as evidence, but the timing could be used to rebut allegations by the prosecution that Veltman changed his story during the last two years since the statements were given three days after the attack and repeated again in court this week.
"The fact that statements are consistent doesn't mean that they're true," added Pomerance.
Talat Afzaal, 74, her son Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, and their daughter Yumnah, 15, were all killed June 6, 2021 when they were struck by a pick up truck. Their son, who was nine at the time, was the only survivor.
Veltman has pleaded not guilty to four charges of first degree murder and one charge of attempted murder.
The defence also called forensic psychiatrist and expert Dr. Julian Gojer after Veltman left the stand. Dr. Gojer was introduced to the jury just before the trial broke for the day and will continue his expert testimony on Wednesday. Gojer assessed Veltman, but will only testify about hallucinogens, such as magic mushrooms, and the effect they have on human behaviour. Statements Veltman made to Dr. Gojer are also not admissible as evidence.
The trial resumes at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The jury will sit for a half-day due to a prior commitment by one juror.
