DNA evidence shown to jury at Whistler double-murder trial

Jurors in the trial of Gursimran Sahota and Tanvir Khakh were shown clothing and shoes bearing victims' blood during proceedings in B.C. Supreme Court on Friday, September 11. Both men are charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Meninder Dhaliwal and Satindera Gill on July 24, 2022, outside Whistler's Sundial Hotel.

RCMP Corporal Andrew Norris displayed black hoodies, pants, shoes, and gloves to the jury, presenting each item front-to-back and from multiple angles as the accused examined them closely. Defence lawyers scrutinized two pairs of black batting gloves that were found in a black Chrysler located in Squamish minutes after the murders. The suspects were stopped less than one hour after the shootings.

According to evidence presented, Dhaliwal's blood was found on shoes and pants worn by both Sahota and Khakh at the time of their arrest. Khakh was wearing black Reebok runners bearing two spots of Dhaliwal's blood and DNA. He also wore Puma pants with Dhaliwal's blood on the upper front right side. Sahota wore black Armani pants with Dhaliwal's blood at the upper left thigh near the crotch and on the exterior front right bottom cuff. Both of Sahota's Nike shoes bore Dhaliwal's DNA.

Crown prosecutor Don Montrichard told the jury: "The estimated probability of selecting an unrelated individual at random from the Canadian Caucasian population with the same profile is one-in-5.6 quintillion."

Norris attended autopsies of both victims at Abbotsford Regional Hospital on July 27, 2022, where he collected exhibits. Dhaliwal sustained 16 entrance wounds and 10 exit wounds across the skull, brain, face, and body — totalling 16 wound tracks. Ten entrance and six exit wounds were inflicted to the head, with five bullets recovered during autopsy. Gill was struck twice: once in the buttocks and once in the abdomen. The trial is expected to last three weeks.