Hari Pal's 2nd-degree murder convictions 'bittersweet' for victim's family
Meghan Grant | CBC News | Posted: June 23, 2017 10:17 PM | Last Updated: June 23, 2017
A sentencing hearing will take place on Tuesday
Hari Pal's conviction on two counts of second-degree murder for the fatal stabbing attack on his wife and her friend is "bittersweet," said the brother of one of the victims.
Court of Queen's Bench Justice Ged Hawco also convicted the 55-year-old of aggravated assault for injuring another woman during the attack.
Pal fatally stabbed Sanjula Devi and her friend Fahmida Velji-Visram at the home he once shared with Devi in southeast Calgary on May 4, 2014.
"My sister had a smile that would light up the entire world," Farouk Velji said on Friday. "We remember the good."
The two women and Devi's nine-year-old daughter had come back to the basement suite in Penbrooke — where the family lived together until a couple of weeks before the attack — to collect personal items left behind.
The girl — whose identity is protected by a publication ban — testified earlier this week. She said she and her mother moved out of the Penbrooke home after her mom told her that Pal tried to strangle her. Pal is the girl's stepfather.
She said that when they arrived at the house, they were confronted by Pal, who was wielding a knife.
After Velji-Visram was attacked first, the girl and her mother locked themselves in a bedroom, but Pal kicked in the door and stabbed his estranged wife in front of the child.
Pal has been examined by a court-appointed psychiatrist several times, including at the beginning and in the middle of his trial but was found mentally fit each time despite reporting hearing voices.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr. David Tano said Pal was experiencing an "acute stress reaction."
Defence lawyer Andre Ouellette had argued his client should be found guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter in relation to Velji-Visram's death.
"I'm disappointed, I'm not surprised," said Ouellette. "It's a devastating situation for a very small community."
A second-degree murder convicton comes with an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 10 years. Prosecutors Joe Mericer and Sonya Bertrand indicated they intend to see consecutive parole ineligibility periods.
A sentencing hearing will take place on Tuesday.
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