Kamal Ghorui
The killer of Indian student Kartik Vasudev in Canada has been convicted.
Richard Edwin, a Toronto man, has been found guilty of first-degree murder of two men in 2022. One of them was 21-year-old Indian student Kartik Vasudev. The other was 35-year-old Elijah Eleazar Mahepath. There was no connection among the three and the two killings took place two days apart. Both victims died from multiple gunshot wounds. Edwin was arrested in 2022 and was charged but he did not plead guilty on the ground of his mental disorder.Edwin has been diagnosed with schizophrenia since 2010, according to his court records.But judge Jane Kelly said the mental disorder did not make Edwin incapable of knowing that what he was doing was morally wrong. “I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the murders of Mr Vasudev and Mir Mahepath were planned and deliberate,” Justice Jane Kelly said.Edwin was aware of the nature of his act as he conducted many Internet searches regarding violence, on how to win a gunfight, on organs that are vulnerable to bullets.“His conduct appeared rational, methodical, and organized,” the judge’s decision said.“Justice has finally been served, though the heart remains heavy. Four yrs after the tragic loss of Karthik, a Canadian court has found his killer guilty of 1st-degree murder. While no verdict can fill the void, this is a monumental step for our family. Rest in peace, little bro,” Kartik’s cousin Gaurav Vasdev posted after the conviction of the killer.Kartik was studying arketing management course in Seneca College of Toronto in January 2022. He was on his way to a part-time job that he started when he was killed.A conviction for first-degree murder carries an automatic sentence of life imprisonment with no chance at parole for 25 years, to be served concurrently for multiple convictions.
