Killer of London, Ont., Muslim family appeals convictions, challenging use of manifesto at trial

Kate Dubinski · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 06, 2025 3:21 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 6

Warning: This communicative contains distressing details.

A London, Ont., antheral convicted of sidesplitting 4 members of a Muslim household and severely injuring a 5th member in a hate-motivated onslaught 4 years ago is appealing connected 3 grounds, including that the justice should not person allowed the assemblage to see his achromatic nationalist manifesto. 

A Windsor jury recovered Nathaniel Veltman guilty successful November 2023 of 4 counts of first-degree execution and 1 number of attempted murder. Three months later, past Superior Court Justice Renee Pomerance ruled his actions amounted to a "textbook case" of coercion arsenic defined nether Canadian law. He was sentenced successful January 2024.

Friday's news of the entreaty comes connected the 4th day of the sidesplitting of Yumnah Afzaal, 15, her parents — Madiha Salman, 44, an engineer, and Salman Afzaal, 46, a physiotherapist — and household matriarch Talat Afzaal, 74, a teacher and artist. The youngest household member, a boy, survived.

Veltman drove his pickup motortruck into the family as they were taking an evening stroll connected June 6, 2021.  

Appeal sought connected 3 grounds

"I admit that the assemblage was horrified by this offence and the remaining members of the household were devastated by this offence. I respect that, and I consciousness precise severely for some the household and for the community," Veltman's entreaty lawyer, Stephen Whitzman, told CBC News. 

"Mr. Veltman, of course, has a close to workout his afloat ineligible rights, including his close to an appeal, and it's my occupation arsenic his lawyer to assistance him successful doing that, and I anticipation that everyone volition recognize that those 2 things tin some beryllium together."

WATCH | CBC's sum of the judge's 2023 ruling successful the Muslim onslaught case:

The appeal is being sought connected 3 grounds, based connected tribunal records obtained by CBC News: 

• The justice erred successful admitting the ideological evidence, including Veltman's achromatic supremacist manifesto, titled "A White Awakening," which acceptable retired his governmental and racist views.
• The justice erred successful admitting Veltman's statements to a constabulary serviceman which were obtained via a "Charter breach," meaning helium was not decently warned of his rights.
• The justice erred successful refusing the defence exertion for a mistrial due to the fact that of what Veltman's lawyer astatine the clip called "inflammatory language" during the Crown's closing statement, including references to the transgression country and the grievous injuries suffered by the victims. 

Veltman's proceedings lasted 12 weeks. The assemblage heard grounds helium was motivated by right-wing extremist and Islamophobic views, and helium described himself arsenic a achromatic nationalist. He grew up successful a strict Christian location and fell into a web of online hatred during the COVID-19 pandemic, the proceedings heard. 

Veltman testified successful his ain defence and said helium took magic mushrooms a time earlier the sidesplitting successful bid to flight the "hell" of his mind. The sidesplitting galvanized London and Canadian nine to make laws and groups that would combat Islamophobia. 

As it has connected each day of the killing, the assemblage gathered Friday to bespeak connected the family, who became known arsenic Our London Family, and to admit the interaction of the tragedy.