B.C. man sentenced to 7 years in girlfriend's slaying

The man who pleaded guilty to killing 19-year-old Bhavkiran "Kiran" Dhesi and attempting to burn her remains in Surrey, B.C., has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Harjot Singh Deo, who was Dhesis's boyfriend when he fatally shot her more than five years ago, was sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court Tuesday.

The B.C. Prosecution Service has confirmed that he has been ordered to serve a five-year sentence for manslaughter and a consecutive two-year sentence for indignity to human remains. That sentence will be reduced to reflect the amount of time he spent in jail before being released on bail.

In February of this year, Deo's lawyer told the court that his client had a loaded handgun in his possession and that Dhesi's death was accidental but that he did try to conceal and cover up the shooting by moving Dhesi's body out of his bedroom and into an SUV that he set on fire.

Dhesi's remains were found in the burning vehicle in August of 2017. Deo was arrested in May of 2019 and charged the following month.

A number of Deo's family members were also charged in the case. His brother, Gurvinder, and another relative, Talwinder Khun Khun, were accused of being accessories after the fact.

They were alleged to have done a number of things that amounted to helping Harjot cover up the crime, including moving and burning a mattress from the crime scene, helping to dispose of the gun, and getting rid of surveillance footage.

The judge acquitted both men, finding that the Crown had not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the pair both knew of the crime and helped to cover it up.

"It is possible that Harjot phoned his brother, immediately confessed to the manslaughter of Ms. Dhesi, and requested the assistance of Gurvinder and Talwinder to escape liability," Justice Jeanne E. Watchuk wrote.

"I find that the totality of the evidence viewed logically and in light of human experience has not proven that the only reasonable inference is that the accuseds are guilty … I have found that it is not proven that the accuseds had actual knowledge of the manslaughter committed by Harjot, or that they acted for the purpose of assisting Harjot."

Deo's mother and sister were also charged as accessories after the fact. The charges against his sister were stayed, while his mother pleaded guilty to willfully resisting or obstructing a police officer and was sentenced to a conditional discharge, with 12 months of probation and a $200 victim surcharge.