A Richmond man who killed his mother-in-law and son in 2015 will be returning to the community after being granted statutory release.Surjit Singh Dosanjh, 40, was found guilty on two counts of manslaughter in 2018 and sentenced to 14 years behind bars, the last third of which he will now serve outside prison.The parole board acknowledged in its July 31 decision that Dosanjh had a "serious history of violence" a "willingness to use/possess weapons," but released him nonetheless. It also noted that he demonstrated a "concerning level of criminal commitment and adherence to anti-social and procriminal values and attitudes," and was "assessed as a high risk for intimate partner violence."Dosanjh will have to live in a community residential facility for the duration of his sentence, and abide by a long list of conditions. Among them are a requirement to report all intimate relationships and friendships with women, and a ban on drugs, alcohol, and firearm ownership. He has an extensive criminal history, including ten robbery convictions, and charges for weapons possession, assault, and drug possession.Dosanjh, who immigrated to Canada at the age of 11, is subject to a deportation order, with the family of his victims calling on authorities to remove him from the country. While it remains to be seen whether he will be deported, he must nonetheless work with the Canada Border Services Agency to secure a work permit.During his time in prison, Dosanjh was transferred from a medium-security facility to one with maximum security due to his drug use and threats towards correctional officers. As recent as March, his case management team noted that his risk levels had all remained the same, or gotten worse.The incident in question took place in the middle of the night on April 13, 2015. As the CBC reports, weeks of increasingly "threatening" behaviour towards his common-law wife, who had recently ended their relationship, culminated in him lighting a fire in the master bedroom of her home at a fourplex in the 10000 block of Cornerbrook Crescent, which also destroyed the surrounding three homes. The board noted that he knew he "was not supposed to be there."His mother-in-law and teenage son were inside at the time, though Dosanjh later claimed he thought they were elsewhere. Despite first responders' efforts, they both died of carbon monoxide poisoning.Just hours earlier, Dosanjh's wife and her two-year-old son fled the area out of fear his violence might escalate. The pair were unharmed.The Crown called for an 18-year sentence on each count, but that was reduced to 14 years, to be served concurrently minus time served.
A Richmond man who killed his mother-in-law and son in 2015 will be returning to the community after being granted statutory release.Surjit Singh Dosanjh, 40, was found guilty on two counts of manslaughter in 2018 and sentenced to 14 years behind bars, the last third of which he will now serve outside prison.The parole board acknowledged in its July 31 decision that Dosanjh had a "serious history of violence" a "willingness to use/possess weapons," but released him nonetheless. It also noted that he demonstrated a "concerning level of criminal commitment and adherence to anti-social and procriminal values and attitudes," and was "assessed as a high risk for intimate partner violence."Dosanjh will have to live in a community residential facility for the duration of his sentence, and abide by a long list of conditions. Among them are a requirement to report all intimate relationships and friendships with women, and a ban on drugs, alcohol, and firearm ownership. He has an extensive criminal history, including ten robbery convictions, and charges for weapons possession, assault, and drug possession.Dosanjh, who immigrated to Canada at the age of 11, is subject to a deportation order, with the family of his victims calling on authorities to remove him from the country. While it remains to be seen whether he will be deported, he must nonetheless work with the Canada Border Services Agency to secure a work permit.During his time in prison, Dosanjh was transferred from a medium-security facility to one with maximum security due to his drug use and threats towards correctional officers. As recent as March, his case management team noted that his risk levels had all remained the same, or gotten worse.The incident in question took place in the middle of the night on April 13, 2015. As the CBC reports, weeks of increasingly "threatening" behaviour towards his common-law wife, who had recently ended their relationship, culminated in him lighting a fire in the master bedroom of her home at a fourplex in the 10000 block of Cornerbrook Crescent, which also destroyed the surrounding three homes. The board noted that he knew he "was not supposed to be there."His mother-in-law and teenage son were inside at the time, though Dosanjh later claimed he thought they were elsewhere. Despite first responders' efforts, they both died of carbon monoxide poisoning.Just hours earlier, Dosanjh's wife and her two-year-old son fled the area out of fear his violence might escalate. The pair were unharmed.The Crown called for an 18-year sentence on each count, but that was reduced to 14 years, to be served concurrently minus time served.
