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WARNING: Details in this story are disturbing. Discretion is advised.
Global News applied for a video to be released in the double murder trial of an Abbotsford, B.C., couple in 2022.
In May, three men were found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of 77-year-old Arnold De Jong and 76-year-old Joanne De Jong.
The judge refused to release the video that was withheld when other evidence was released last month.
“I think the whole world should see this video,” Sandra Barthel, the de Jongs’ daughter, told Global News.
Abhijeet Singh, Gurkaran Singh and Khushveer Toor were found guilty of first-degree murder in the case.
The court earlier heard that Arnold died by asphyxiation, with his entire head and face wrapped in duct tape, while Joanne was bludgeoned and had her throat slashed.
The video that Global News requested was shown twice in court, capturing Gurkaran Singh handling a bat while Toor drove.
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“Kind of taking a selfie video, I believe, of him holding it and smiling as they were driving down the street,” Barthel said.
Supreme Court Justice Brenda brown denied the request to have full access to the video so we can’t publish it, but she did grant Global News access to view the video supervised.
The video shows what appears to be the same green wooden baseball bat found in the trunk.
“It sickens me that they were driving around using this as a trophy, showing that it was something that was brought into my parents’ home,” the de Jongs’ daughter, Heather Hoogland, said.
During the Crown’s closing arguments of the trial, the prosecutor describes the video as showing the smile of a murderer and that is the reason the judge won’t release that video.
“The judge’s decision is basically to protect the integrity of the court, of that commentary associated from the video,” Donna Turko KC, Toor’s lawyer, said.
Barthel said this move protects the criminals, but not the victims or the public.
“It’s a decision that protects them and their dignity, but where’s our parents’ dignity?” she said.
The family will wait another two months to find out the sentence for the three men who took their parents’ lives.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
