Vancouver man found guilty of killing two people over 12 years
Jaswant Singh Gill shot an acquaintance dead in 1994, then killed his wife in 2006
A jury has found Jaswant Singh Gill guilty of first-degree murder for the death of an acquaintance — Thomas Eldon Akerman — and guilty of manslaughter for the death of his wife, Gurpreet Gill.
Akerman was killed in the parking lot of the Bonsor Recreation centre in Burnaby, B.C. on December 23, 1994. He was found shot inside his car.
The murder was a cold case for many years, and police only began to pursue Gill as a suspect after the death of his wife in 2006.
Police narrowed in as Gill as a suspect and began a "Mr. Big" undercover operation. It was during this investigation that Gill confessed to undercover officers that not only had he killed his wife, but he'd shot Thomas Akerman years earlier.
Gill was originally charged with second-degree murder for the death of his wife, but a jury found him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
A first-degree murder conviction carries with it a mandatory sentence of life in prison, with no chance of parole for 25 years.
In an unusual move, the jury has not yet been dismissed in the case despite their verdict being rendered.
The jury panel will return to B.C. Supreme Court to hear one more matter on April 10 — but both the Crown and Gill's lawyer said they can't comment on what that matter is.