Man who killed four members of Muslim family in London, Ont., to be sentenced today

Nathaniel Veltman, 23, was found guilty in November of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for hitting the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk on June 6, 2021.

LONDON -- A man who killed four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont., is set to be sentenced today.

Nathaniel Veltman, 23, was found guilty in November of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for hitting the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk on June 6, 2021.

First-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years, but the sentence for attempted murder can vary, with a maximum of life behind bars.

Justice Renee Pomerance is also expected to rule on whether Veltman's attack amounted to terrorism.

Prosecutors have argued Veltman was a white supremacist with a plan to commit violence, while the defence argued his actions shouldn't be considered terrorism because he kept his beliefs to himself.

The case was the first time Canada's terrorism laws were put before a jury in a first-degree murder trial.

Veltman was convicted of killing 46-year-old Salman Afzaal; his 44-year-old wife, Madiha Salman; their 15-year-old daughter, Yumna; and her 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal. The couple's nine-year-old son was seriously hurt but survived.