Nirmala Arjun

Case record: Nirmala Arjun

Timeline

• January 28, 2009 — Nirmala Devi Arjun and William Peter Canning entered Arjun’s Vancouver apartment suite on the evening of Jan. 28.
• January 29, 2009 — William Peter Canning’s body was found by police the following morning after Arjun called 911 twice; Const. Lindsey Houghton said Arjun called police to report Canning's death in an apartment in the 2100-block of Cassiar Street. Arjun was taken into police custody for questioning and released later the same day; Arjun was charged with second-degree murder more than 18 months after she reported his death.
• 2007 — Arjun was designated by the ministry of social development as a person with persistent multiple barriers to employment and began receiving $657 a month assistance.
• 2007 to 2011 — Arjun worked part-time as a food services worker from 2007 to 2011.
• 1991 — Arjun’s arranged marriage ended after she said she suffered physical abuse at the hands of her husband.
• April 27, 2014 — Arjun was sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 12 years.
• November (year not stated in source) — A B.C. Supreme Court jury found Nirmala Devi Arjun, 56, guilty of the January 2009 second-degree murder of William Peter Canning, 65.
• January 2014 (year not stated in source; referenced as “In imposing sentence”) — In imposing sentence, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Gregory Bowden said there was no explanation for the attack and no apparent motive; the court heard sentencing evidence including Arjun’s drinking problem and the nature of the violence.
• July 29, 2010 — “Vancouver woman charged in 2009 murder” article described Arjun being charged with second-degree murder and scheduled to appear in Vancouver provincial court.

Background

Nirmala Devi Arjun was 56 and Nirmala Arjun was a Vancouver woman who killed friend with a meat cleaver and was sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder.

Arjun came to Canada from Fiji following an arranged marriage. She had one son and a granddaughter. Her marriage ended in 1991 after she suffered physical abuse at the hands of her husband.

Arjun’s son said that both parents were abusive to each other and alcohol was a contributing factor. He said Arjun was a different person and aggressive when she was drunk.

In 2007, the ministry of social development designated Arjun as a person with persistent multiple barriers to employment. She began receiving $657 a month assistance. She worked part-time as a food services worker from 2007 to 2011.

The offence

Arjun used a meat cleaver to inflict more than 50 blade wounds on a male friend, William Peter Canning.

The two friends entered Arjun’s Vancouver apartment suite on the evening of Jan. 28. Canning’s body was found by police the following morning, after Arjun had called 911 twice.

Canning suffered some of the wounds while moving through the residence before finally collapsing in the bathroom.

Investigation

Const. Lindsey Houghton told ctvbc.ca that Arjun called police to report Canning's death in an apartment in the 2100-block of Cassiar Street on January 29, 2009.

“Homicide investigations are typically very complex and can take a long time, but now we've made an arrest, and we're very happy about that,” Const. Lindsey Houghton said.

Houghton added: “He added that police are not releasing the manner in which Canning was killed.”

Arrest and charging

More than 18 months after she reported Canning's death, a 52-year-old Vancouver woman was charged with the murder of William Canning. Nirmala Arjun was taken into custody Thursday morning and charged with second-degree murder in the death of her 65-year-old acquaintance.

Arjun was taken into police custody for questioning on Jan. 29, 2009 and released later the same day.

Arjun was scheduled to appear in Vancouver provincial court on Friday (the specific court date was not stated beyond “Friday”).

Trial

In November, a B.C.

The jury made no recommendation on parole ineligibility.

Sentencing

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Gregory Bowden imposed sentence.

Bowden said there was no explanation for the attack and no apparent motive. There was no evidence they were in a romantic relationship at the time.

Court heard that Canning, whom Arjun referred to as a poor and often homeless man, cared for her dog when the part-time food services employee was at work.

There was some evidence that Arjun had consumed alcohol at some point during the night of the murder, but no evidence Canning was intoxicated, the judge noted.

At issue on sentencing was Arjun’s parole eligibility. Second-degree murder carried a mandatory life sentence with a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 25 years of parole ineligibility.

Bowden said while there was no motive, alcohol may have been a partial explanation for the attack.

“Ms. Arjun told the probation officer that she was very sad that Mr. Canning was gone. The probation officer quotes her as saying, ‘Justice has been done to me and I think about it.’ ”

Bowden said that due to the “extremely violent” nature of the attack, Arjun should spend 12 years behind bars before being able to apply for parole.

The Crown asked for 12 years of parole eligibility, while the defence called for 10 years.

Outcome

Arjun was sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 12 years on April 27, 2014.