The Murder of Amandeep Atwal
For this case I watched an episode of Forbidden: Dying For Love. It’s season 3 episode 7, titled ‘Love or Family.’
A high school student falls in love, but has to keep her relationship a secret from her strict family.
Background
Amin Atwal
Amandeep or Amin as she was called, lived in Kitimit, British Columbia with her family. Her family was originally from northern India, and although they had lived in Canada for over 20 years, they still followed the Punjabi religion and customs.
Amin was described as beautiful, kind, and an all around good person. Her family was strict, but she did have a job as a waitress at a local restaurant. She was also a top student at her school, but she soon met a new boy in her biology class.
A Strict Family
Amin’s dad Rajinder worked at a large aliminum factory. The people that he worked with said that he was always quiet and reserved.
He treated Amin and her brother very differently. Amin wasn’t allowed to date openly, but her brother was. Amin was expected to have an arranged marriage, but Amin was going to try to not let that happen.
A Teenage Romance
Amin began a relationship with Todd McIsaac, and they dated in secret for over a year. They would talk on the phone, and instead of saying ‘I love you,’ they would say eggs/bacon, so her family didn’t get suspicious.
Todd introduced Amin to his dad, and he allowed Amin to be over there whenever, he letting her spend the night. Amin would lie to her parents, saying she was staying over at her friend’s houses.
After a year together, the two became less careful. Amin would have Todd over at her house when her parents weren’t home. Her parents soon caught on, and Rajinder changed Amin’s curfew, and didn’t allow her to go out with friends. Amin and Todd only saw each other at school, but by this time many teachers also knew about their relationship too.
The Accident
In February 2003, Amin’s family put the house up for sale, and she was told they were going to move to Vancouver. Vancouver was about 800 miles away, and the rest of Amin’s family lived there. Amin was stuck between choosing her family or Todd.
On June 2, 2003, after a few months of only being able to see each other at school, Amin and Todd skipped school, and went to Terrace.
They ended up staying out longer than they were supposed to, and Amin was speeding trying to get home. Amin’s car slid off the highway, and the car flipped. The two were taken to the hospital. Amin only had minor injuries, and Todd had a punctured lung and broken ribs.
Amin’s family was very upset, and when she went to the hospital a few days later to visit Todd, she told him what happened. She said that her dad screamed that she was a disgrace, and she had to lock herself in her room. Amin also told Todd that her dad said he wished she’d died in the car accident.
Amin and Todd made a plan to move to Prince George after graduation. Amin was ready to leave her strict family behind.
A Change of Heart?
Six weeks later, after graduation, Amin asked her friend Andrea to pick her up and take her to Todd’s. Amin’s mom ended up following them, and Todd’s dad had to call the police, when a fight broke out. The police sent Amin back to her parent’s house.
Andrea and Todd waited outside, while Amin spoke to her parents. When she came back outside, Amin told them her dad said she could move in with Todd. They were shocked. Amin said that her dad broke down, and said she had to go on a trip with them to Vancouver first.
Amin and Todd really thought they were close to spending the rest of their lives together.
The Murder
Amin went on her trip to Vancouver, in which she was supposed to go for a weeks. However, she called Todd and told him that her dad agreed to bring her home early, and that she’d be home the next day.
The next day, Rajinder showed up at Langley Hospital, and told them his daughter had committed suicide. The staff rushed out to find Amin lifeless, covered in blood. She had been stabbed.
Rajinder was interviewed by the police. He said that he stopped to stretch his legs on their drive home, and when he returned to the car, he found Amin dead. He said that Amin had a kitchen knife, and that he threw it into the river.
The autopsy revealed a different story. Amin had been stabbed 11 times, and some of the stab wounds were inflicted after she died.
Arrest and Conviction
Rajinder Atwal was arrested for murdering his daughter. It’s believed that he killed her because he didn’t approve of her relationship with Todd.
On March 5, 2005, he was convicted of second degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 16 years.
In 2018, he was granted day parole, which means he was allowed to go to his home for the day, and then return to the jail only to sleep.
A court drawing from Rajinder’s trial
FINAL THOUGHTS
It makes me sick that he’s able to be released for the day, after he murdered his own daughter. I don’t know much about the Canadian justice system, but if this crime occurred in the U.S., he probably wouldn’t have been granted parole. Amin didn’t receive the justice she deserves.
Sources
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/father-guilty-of-murdering-daughter-1.547324
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/full-parole-denied-for-b-c-man-who-murdered-daughter-1.4552349
