Men guilty of 'cowardly' executions ask Alberta's top court to overturn murder convictions

Two Calgary men who were handed life sentences Saturday after jurors ruled they carried out what the Crown described as "calculated, cowardly" executions have appealed their convictions. 

Prabhjyot Bhatti, 25, and Jaskaran Sidhu, 25, were each convicted of two counts of first-degree murder.

The victims were Jasdeep Singh, 25, and Japneet Malhi, 22, of Calgary.

After hearing four weeks of evidence, jurors began deliberating Friday evening and returned with the verdicts Saturday night. 

After the verdicts were announced, Bhatti and Sidhu were both handed life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years by Justice Karen Horner. 

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On Monday, both men filed notices of appeal, asking the province's top court to overturn their convictions.

The notices indicate an appeal based on arguments that there were errors in the judge's instructions to jurors, and errors in allowing evidence that shouldn't have been admitted that had "a significant prejudicial effect," resulting in an "unreasonable verdict."

A date for appeal arguments has not been set.

Killers 'laid in wait'

Singh and Malhi were fatally shot after they left the Mazaj Lounge just after 2 a.m. on April 3, 2019.

Defence lawyers Andrea Urquhart and Shamsher Kothari asked the jury to acquit their clients, arguing the Crown had failed to prove who was in the "gunship" vehicle. 

Prosecutors Brian Holtby and Aurelie Beland relied heavily on the testimony of a witness who can only be identified as "WA," who was an accomplice to the fatal shooting.

WA testified that on the night of the shooting, he entered the Mazaj Lounge to confirm the victims were inside, relaying the information to Bhatti and Sidhu.

Bhatti and Sidhu then left the nearby Cactus Club and "laid in wait," as described by Holtby. 

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Aside from WA, there was a fourth man involved in the homicide.

Last year, Amandeep Saggu pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was handed a nearly-eight year sentence. 

Saggu was the one who set up the killing, an act of revenge after he was stabbed by Malhi in 2016, according to facts agreed upon during his guilty plea. 

Saggu admitted that he sent accomplices — now identified as Bhatti and Sidhu — to attack Malhi after WA tracked him down at the Mazaj lounge.