LONDON, Ontario – Nathaniel Veltman, the man responsible for the brutal murder of four members of a Muslim family in a terror-driven attack, has filed an appeal seeking to overturn his convictions, according to his defense lawyer, Christopher Hicks. The “inmate notice of appeal” was submitted within the required 30-day window after Veltman’s sentencing.
In February, Veltman received a life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years after being found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. The charges stemmed from his deliberate act of driving his truck into the Afzaal family while they were on a walk in 2021.
The tragic incident resulted in the deaths of Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna, and Madiha’s 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal. Their nine-year-old son was also injured but survived the attack.
During the trial held in Windsor, Ontario, Justice Renee Pomerance ruled that Veltman’s actions constituted terrorism, emphasizing that the murders were committed by a self-professed white nationalist. This case marked the first instance of Canada’s terrorism laws being presented to a jury in a first-degree murder trial.
Prosecutors argued that Veltman, driven by white supremacist beliefs, had planned and executed the violence. However, the defense contended that his actions should not be categorized as terrorism since he had kept his extremist views private.
Pomerance, however, disagreed, emphasizing that Veltman’s concealed beliefs were an attempt to evade detection before carrying out his hateful plan.
At his sentencing hearing in January, Veltman expressed remorse for the pain he had caused. Nevertheless, his apology was met with rejection from the family members of the victims.
The appeal filed by Veltman will now start the legal process of challenging his convictions.