2 men plead guilty to murder of Ripudaman Singh Malik

Two B.C. men pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in the 2022 shooting death of Ripudaman Singh Malik, one of two men acquitted in the 1985 Air India bombings.

Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez entered the pleas in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster on the eve of their trial for the killing of Malik, who was shot several times outside his family business on the morning of July 14, 2022.

In a statement, Malik's family described him as a "father, brother, husband and grandfather as well as a tireless community leader."

"While we are grateful that the shooters are being brought to justice, we know that nothing will erase the pain that we have gone through losing a family member in this way," the family said.

"However, the work is not complete. Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez were hired to commit this murder. Until the parties responsible for hiring them and directing this assassination are brought to justice, the work remains incomplete."

The family called on the killers to "co-operate with the RCMP in bringing those that hired you to justice."

Alleged interference by Indian government

Malik and co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri were acquitted in 2005 of mass murder and conspiracy charges related to a pair of bombings targeting Air India flights that killed 331 people, mainly from the Toronto and Vancouver areas.

In recent years, Malik served as chairman of Khalsa School and managed two of the private schools' campuses in Surrey and Vancouver. He was also president of the Surrey-based Khalsa Credit Union, which has more than 16,000 members.

The guilty pleas from Fox and Lopez come a week after a bombshell allegation that Indian government agents have been involved in violent crimes in Canada — including last year's targeted killing of prominent Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Last May, CBC News reported that RCMP investigators were probing whether India was behind Malik's killing.

CBC News has seen evidence that suggests an Indian diplomat was in close contact with Malik by phone and text in the hours leading up to his shooting — as reported in March in the Fifth Estate documentary Contract to Kill.

Fox and Lopez are not of Indian origin; sources told CBC News they're believed to have connections to organized crime in B.C. 

Investigators have told CBC they do not believe Lopez and Fox were contracted directly by Indian diplomats, but rather through criminal intermediaries.

'We continue to have faith'

The Malik family thanked the RCMP and prosecutors for bringing Fox and Lopez to justice.

"We continue to have faith that the RCMP are actively investigating those who remain at large and will bring them to justice," the family said.

Fox and Lopez will be sentenced at a future date, but the second-degree murder pleas mean that they will automatically receive life sentences; the only question will be how long they have to serve before they can apply for parole.

Both men had previous criminal records.

According to court records, Lopez was found guilty of assault causing bodily harm for a 2018 incident in Abbotsford.

He was charged with seven firearms offences, plus wilfully resisting an officer and uttering threats for an incident in July
2021 in Kelowna.

Fox's convictions include assault causing bodily harm and robbery for separate incidents in 2019 in Abbotsford.