The trial for three Surrey men charged with the murders of an Abbotsford couple has been delayed by a year as pre-trial proceedings occur.
Gurkaran Singh, Abhijeet Singh and Khushveer Toor were initially scheduled to begin their trial on May 27 of this year into the killings of Arnold and Joanne De Jong in May 2022.
Jury selection has now been moved to May 14, 2025, with the trial expected to start May 20, 2025 and lasting eight to 10 weeks.
Meanwhile, voir dire proceedings are underway to determine whether certain evidence is admissible and can potentially be entered into evidence during the trial.
According to the BC Prosecution Service, one voir dire is scheduled from July 8 to 12, with a separate one on July 15.
The last voir dire is scheduled to run March 31 to April 11, 2025.
RELATED: Couple in their 70s identified as victims of double homicide in Abbotsford
All proceedings are expected to occur in B.C. Supreme Court in Abbotsford.
The three men – all in their 20s – were each charged in December 2022 with two counts of first-degree murder. They have all been in custody since that time.
Arnold, 77, and Joanne, 76, were found dead on the morning of May 9, 2022 in their home in the 33600 block of Arcadian Way, a rural road in east Abbotsford.
Police have not released their cause of death.
The couple owned De Jong Transport, and Arnold travelled almost two million miles over the years in his 1965 Hayes truck, transporting produce, berries, flowers and eggs.
Joanne was a licensed practical nurse at local hospitals before staying home to raise their three daughters.
Charges were announced at a press conference in Abbotsford on Dec. 16, 2022, at which time police said one of the three men knew the De Jongs, although the circumstances were not clear.
RELATED: Three Surrey men charged in relation to killing of senior Abbotsford couple
