The trial for three men accused of murdering an Abbotsford, B.C., couple four years ago came to an end Tuesday, as defence lawyers argued the incident was closer to a bungled robbery leading to the killings, rather than a premeditated case of first-degree murder.

Arnold and Joanne De Jong were found dead in their Abbotsford home on Arcadian Way, a rural area in the north of the city, on May 9, 2022.

When the trial started in January, Gurkaran Singh, Abhijeet Singh and Khushveer Toor, all in their 20s, pleaded not guilty to two counts each of first-degree murder.

Donna Turko, counsel for Toor, argued on Tuesday that Crown prosecutors couldn’t prove her client was at the home of the De Jongs on May 9, 2022, and took issue with analysis of DNA evidence.

“This is a despicable, senseless crime based on circumstantial evidence,” said Turko.

Bibhas Vaze, counsel for Gurkaran Singh, told the court the incident was a “robbery gone wrong.”

The De Jongs were found dead in separate bedrooms, with Arnold on a bed with duct tape around his head, and Joanne on a bed with blood around her. Their hands and feet were bound by rope.

Investigators uncovered a large trove of circumstantial evidence linking the three men to the deaths, which the Crown alleges makes the case for high-level murder charges. 

Crown prosecutor William Dorsey in his closing submissions on Friday told Justice Brenda Brown that the men worked together to plan the murders and take the De Jongs’ money.

But the defence lawyers dispute that the killings were planned, telling the court during closing submissions that began Monday that the circumstantial evidence doesn’t prove premeditated murder. 

Vaze argued the Crown was unable to prove Gurkaran Singh helped kill the De Jongs, saying there was no evidence that his client was in the De Jongs’ bedrooms, but only evidence of his presence at the home.

Andrew Cochrane, a lawyer for Abhijeet Singh, said Monday during his closing submission that the Crown is relying on a “single item” of physical evidence to prove his client’s involvement. 

Cochrane said Abhijeet Singh admits a “degree of moral culpability,” given the evidence against him. 

“He accepts that the evidence may establish that he had advanced knowledge of the planned home invasion, that he may be found to have been a party to the break-in and robbery, and that he received stolen property in his aftermath,” Cochrane said. “We don’t invite the court to ignore this evidence or the responsibility that it may attract.”

But, he said, the prosecution didn’t prove his client was at the home at the time of the killings, and told the judge that the “highest” available verdict would be manslaughter, not first-degree murder.

Speaking to the media surrounded by dozens of family and friends, one of the De Jongs’ daughters, Kimberley Coleman, said “the trial has been agonizing.”

“They’re trying to say this is just a robbery gone bad, that their suspect didn’t have any intent of killing — the end result, our parents are dead. And it wasn’t just the chance effect of a robbery. There was horror that night,” said Coleman.

“People have been very affected by the loss of our mom and dad,” said Sandra Barthel, Coleman’s sister.

“Together with our faith, and with these people, we’ve just felt upheld and have really appreciated their support … as we walk through this journey,” added Barthel.

Brown reserved her decision until May 8.