For his role in a murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the death of a 42-year-old mother, an Abbotsford man has been served a 21-year prison sentence.
Gurpreet Singh Atwal pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in May of 2018. Atwal, 32, admitted to driving a pick-up truck into victim Kulwinder Kaur Gill on Townshipline Road in Abbotsford in April, 2009. The collision was so hard that it sent Kulwinder Gill flying 30 metres into a ditch.
The judge ruled that five years and two months will be taken off Atwal’s sentence as credit for the time he has already spent in custody, according to a CBC News report.
As outlined in an agreed statement of facts, Kulwinder Gill’s husband Iqbal was facing several civil suits. His blueberry farm business was also facing foreclosure in 2009.
It was around that time that both Iqbal and Kulwinder Gill each took out a $3 million life insurance policy. Atwal and Iqbal were acquaintances with each other through the local Sikh temple – they were so familiar with each other that Atwal even called Iqbal “uncle” out of respect.
Iqbal then proposed that if Atwal killed Kulwinder, he would be entitled to a $50,000 cut of the resulting life insurance payout.
The crime was staged on April 28, 2009. After crashing into Kulwinder, Atwal drove off to dispose of the incriminating truck, and then met up with two friends – Sukhpal Singh Johal and Jaspreet Singh Sohi. Both friends, along with Atwal, pleaded guilty for their roles in the crime.
For his part in the conspiracy, Iqbal Gill pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to 17 years in prison in November, 2017. He received seven years credit for time served.
