Prosecutor Says Brampton Arrested Suspects ‘Proudly Displayed’ Bat Used in Brutal B.C. Double Killing

A chilling video showing one of the accused smiling while holding a softball bat allegedly used in a brutal double homicide was presented in court as the trial of three young men charged with killing a British Columbia couple continued in Abbotsford. Prosecutors told the court that the men appeared to take pride in the weapon months after the killings, with footage showing the bat being displayed while one of the accused, Gurkaran Singh, smiled for the camera. Crown prosecutor William Dorsey argued the video revealed the suspects’ disturbing attachment to the weapon used in the May 2022 home invasion that left Joanne De Jong dead after being beaten in her bed. Singh, along with Abhijeet Singh and Khushveer Toor—each in their 20s—has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the deaths of Joanne De Jong and her husband Arnold De Jong. During emotional closing arguments, Dorsey described how Arnold De Jong was killed after his wife had already been fatally attacked. Bound and unable to defend himself, Arnold was suffocated with duct tape wrapped around his face, a method prosecutors say was used to avoid leaving more blood after the violent assault on Joanne. Evidence presented in court indicated the bat had been purchased by Abhijeet Singh shortly before the crime and was later discovered in the trunk of a vehicle shared by the suspects. Investigators also found Joanne De Jong’s DNA on the weapon. Prosecutors told the court the men chose to keep the bat even after the killings, maintaining what Dorsey described as a disturbing connection to the object. The trial also heard that internet searches found on Abhijeet Singh’s cellphone shortly after the murders included inquiries about punishments for murder in Canada, sentences for international students convicted of homicide, and legal distinctions between different degrees of murder. Prosecutors said the searches were highly incriminating and suggested the accused were concerned about potential consequences after learning about the deaths through media coverage. Arnold and Joanne De Jong were discovered in separate bedrooms in their home on the morning of May 9, 2022, with their hands and feet bound. The Crown argued that financial pressure