Prosecutors want 19-year and 10-year sentences for men convicted after family froze at Manitoba border

The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 15, 2025 4:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

U.S. attorneys person filed sentencing submissions for 2 men convicted aft a household froze to decease portion trying to locomotion crossed the Canada-U.S. borderline successful Manitoba.

A Minnesota assemblage recovered Steve Shand and Harshkumar Patel blameworthy of human-smuggling charges aft the parents and 2 children from India were recovered successful the snowfall successful January 2022.

The attorneys accidental successful tribunal documents that Patel is not remorseful and they're requesting helium beryllium sentenced to a small much than 19 years successful prison.

They besides accidental Shand should beryllium handed 10 years for conspiring with Patel to smuggle migrants into the United States astatine slightest 5 times done brutal wintertime conditions.

Shand's lawyer, Aaron Morrison, says successful a papers that projected condemnation is "unduly punitive" and he's requesting a small much than 2 years successful prison.

A defence lawyer did not supply a papers outlining a proposal for Patel.

They were convicted past November successful the January 2022 deaths of the Patel household (who were not related to Harshkumar Patel).

The frozen bodies of Jagdish Patel, 39, his wife, Vaishali, 37, their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi, and their three-year-old son, Dharmik, were recovered successful a snow-drifted Manitoba tract conscionable 12 metres from the U.S. borderline aboriginal connected the greeting of Jan. 19, 2022. 

The somesthesia that time was –23 C, but the upwind chill made it consciousness similar the –35 to –38 range.

Shand was arrested adjacent the borderline astir the aforesaid clip with different Indian nationals successful the van helium was driving. Harshkumar Patel was arrested successful Chicago successful February 2024 connected charges of co-ordinating the smuggling and hiring Shand.

The men are acceptable to beryllium sentenced May 28.

Last month, a U.S. territory judge rejected requests for caller trials for the men, ruling determination was capable grounds for the assemblage to find them blameworthy connected each 4 counts.