Two killers have pleaded guilty in a Canadian court to the shooting death of a man involved in the 1985 Air India flight bombing, and the man was acquitted.
Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Sikh businessman Ripudaman Singh Malik in 2022.
Their pleas were filed in British Columbia Supreme Court on the eve of their first-degree murder trial.
Shockingly, Foxx and Lopez got into a heated fistfight in a New Westminster courtroom.
According to the Vancouver Sun, They “kicked and punched each other” After a few minutes, the deputy broke up the fight, took them to the ground, handcuffed them and led them away.
Other magistrates cleared the public gallery.
The case will return to court on October 31 for a sentencing hearing. According to Canadian public broadcaster CBC, the guilty plea to second-degree murder means they will be automatically sentenced to life in prison, with the only question being how long they must serve before they can apply for parole.
On the morning of July 14, 2022, Malik was shot several times in his car outside his family’s business in Surrey, British Columbia.
In 2005, the businessman was acquitted of devastating twin bomb attacks:
- On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182 from Canada to India exploded near the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people on board, most of whom were Canadian citizens traveling to India to visit relatives.
- Around the same time, a second bomb exploded prematurely in Japan, killing two baggage handlers
The bombings are widely believed to have been carried out by Canadian Sikhs in retaliation for India’s 1984 attack on the Golden Temple, Sikhism’s holiest shrine.
After a two-year trial, Malik and his co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri were both acquitted of mass murder and conspiracy in connection with the two bombings accusation.
Foxx and Lopez were hired to assassinate Malik, according to a statement of facts reached Monday, but the evidence did not show who hired them.
According to the Vancouver Sun, police found two handguns used in the attack at a home linked to the two men, and a total of $16,485 ($11,943) was found in Lopez’s New Westminster apartment. US dollars; £9,148) in cash.
Malik’s family issued a statement urging them to cooperate with police to bring his killer to justice.
“The work remains unfinished until the parties responsible for hiring them and directing this assassination are brought to justice,” the family said.
Fox’s lawyer declined to comment on the case when contacted by the BBC.
Lopez’s lawyer said he had “a long road ahead of him,” adding: “Given his youth and remorse, we are hopeful about his prospects for recovery, as demonstrated by his decision to accept responsibility today.” That way.