Canada Jails 2 Indian-Origin Men For Role In Murder Over Drug Debt

Two 24-year-old Indo-Canadian Sikhs have been sentenced for their roles in the 2019 targeted killing of a man in British Columbia over a drug debt, according to a media report.

Andrew Baldwin, 30, was stabbed to death on November 11, 2019, while he watched a movie with a friend in a basement apartment.

Jagpal Singh Hothi, now 24, was charged with first-degree murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and was sentenced to three years in prison, with about 3 1/2 months' credit for pretrial time served, Justice Martha M. Devlin wrote in the British Columbia Supreme Court judgments, the Vancouver Sun reported on Monday.

Jasman Singh Basran, also 24, who tried to get rid of evidence, was charged with being an accessory after the fact but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to 18 months to be served as a conditional sentence, meaning under curfew in his own home, the report added.

Earlier this summer, Devlin sentenced a third man, Jordan Bottomley, who was found to have stabbed Baldwin six times, once fatally in the heart, in a bloody attack that was over in less than 90 seconds.

He also pleaded guilty to manslaughter after being charged with first-degree murder. His sentence of eight years was reduced to three years and 38 days after subtracting the pre-trial custody credit.

A fourth person, Munroop Hayer, who was not present at the killing, has been charged with first-degree murder and has yet to face trial.

Devlin wrote in the three separate judgments how Bottomley, Hothi and Baldwin worked for a fourth man in the local drug trade. Hothi was asked by that fourth man to pick up Bottomley and drive him to collect on a drug debt that Baldwin owed.

Hothi called his friend, Basran, who had a truck, to do the driving, without telling Basran where they were going.

Baldwin and Bottomley had lived together in the summer of 2019 and both used drugs and trafficked them, Devlin wrote. CCTV footage of the truck parked near Baldwin's friend's basement suite showed Bottomley left the truck and was out of sight for one minute and 20 seconds.

Bottomley, wearing layered clothing and gloves and armed with a knife and bear spray, entered the suite and assaulted Baldwin while they wrestled and struggled on a loveseat.

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