Whistler murder trial hears timing of escape routes after double killing
RCMP sergeant's test drives suggest suspects reached Squamish in under 40 minutes after July 2022 Sundial hotel shooting.
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An RCMP sergeant testified Tuesday about driving potential escape routes used after the July 2022 double murder outside Whistler's Sundial hotel, offering evidence about how quickly the accused could have fled the scene.
Sgt. Chase Smith recreated two suspected routes in B.C. Supreme Court, with Justice Miriam Gropper and 12 jurors hearing that one path took 4 minutes 11 seconds and another 5 minutes 45 seconds. The shooting occurred at 12:18 p.m. in the hotel lobby at 4340 Sundial Crescent; a stolen light blue Honda CRV found burning at the 3300-block of Ptarmigan Place was discovered at 12:27 p.m. — nine minutes after the shooting ended as victims attempted to flee.
Two firearms recovered from the Honda were, prosecutors say, used in the shootings. Gursimran Sahota and Tanvir Khakh, both facing first-degree murder charges, are accused of killing Meninder Dhaliwal and Satindera Gill.
Smith also timed a journey from Ptarmigan Place to where a black Chrysler 200 was pulled over by Squamish RCMP at Highway 99 and Garibaldi Way at 1:03 p.m. That drive took 38 minutes 11 seconds. Const. Mark McMahon pulled over the vehicle with Khakh driving; Sahota and four others were passengers.
Defence lawyer Sarah Pringle, representing Khakh, cross-examined Smith on traffic conditions, noting that September traffic would be substantially different from a busy summer day in July. Pringle pointed to tourist attractions along Highway 99 — hiking trails around Whistler, Shannon Falls, Brandywine Falls and the Sea to Sky gondola — and Smith agreed July is peak season for outdoor tourism. Smith acknowledged his test drives only provided estimated times, and that traffic varies with each drive.
As HOC reported in September, video of the hotel shooting was shown to the court earlier in the trial, with a witness describing a narrow escape.
By the numbers
How long did it take to drive from the Sundial hotel shooting scene to where the getaway vehicle was found?
An RCMP sergeant's test drive from the Sundial hotel at 4340 Sundial Crescent to Ptarmigan Place took between 4 minutes 11 seconds and 5 minutes 45 seconds, depending on the route.
How quickly could suspects have reached Squamish after the shooting?
A test drive from Ptarmigan Place to Highway 99 and Garibaldi Way in Squamish, where a black Chrysler 200 was stopped by RCMP at 1:03 p.m., took 38 minutes 11 seconds.
What was the timeline of events at the Sundial hotel on the day of the shooting?
The shooting occurred at 12:18 p.m. in the Sundial hotel lobby; the stolen getaway vehicle was discovered burning at 12:27 p.m., nine minutes later.
