HARJOT Singh Deo, former boyfriend of Bhavkiran “Kiran” Dhesi, 19, of Surrey, on Tuesday pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court to her manslaughter with a firearm and interference with her remains. He had been charged with second-degree murder.

On August 2, 2017, at around 12:20 a.m., Dhesi’s body was found inside a burning vehicle in the 18700-block of 24th Avenue in Surrey. Her death was deemed a homicide and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) took conduct of the case.

Dhesi was last seen leaving the family home, with the family car, at 9 p.m. on August 1, 2017, a mere three hours prior to the car fire.

In May 2019, Deo, then 21, was arrested by IHIT investigators at Vancouver International Airport while returning from a Canadian location and was charged with second-degree murder.

Deo’s lawyer Richard Fowler told the court that a loaded handgun that his client had discharged and accidentally caused the immediate death of Dhesi. Deo then took steps to conceal her remains.

Fowler proposed to have Deo professionally assessed in advance of sentencing. The date for sentencing will be fixed next week.

Deo’s brother, Gurvinder Singh Deo, and a relative, Talwinder Singh Khun Khun, will be going on trial for accessory after the fact to murder and interference with a dead body.

They were arrested and charged in June 2019. Gurvinder Deo was 24 years old at the time and Khun Khun was 22 years old.

Deo’s mother, Manjit Kaur Deo, and his sister, Inderdeep Kaur Deo, were charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder in the case in May 2019. Charges were later stayed against his sister. His mother pleaded guilty to willfully resisting or obstructing a police officer and was sentenced to a conditional discharge, with 12 months of probation.

IN December 2018 Dhesi’s family had appealed for the public’s help to find those responsible for her murder.

In her plea, Bhavkiran’s sister Anjali said:

My name is Anjali Dhesi and I am Kiran’s younger sister. Sixteen months ago, on August 2, 2017, Kiran was taken away from my family and I at the young age of 19. Since her murder, we’ve been struggling to accept the fact that we can never see her sweet face again. Our broken hearts will never heal, and we have no answers as to why this happened to her.

Kiran made our family whole and gave our lives meaning. We remember her not only as a daughter and a sister, but as a survivor. Kiran had suffered for five long years with an autoimmune disease known as GPA. She went through years of dialysis, numerous surgeries, and complications, but she was so strong and determined to fight. She wanted to live more than anything in the world. Kiran received a kidney transplant six months before her life was taken, and at the time, it seemed like everything was finally going to be okay. She cried tears of joy. My sister had the brightest smile and the purest heart no matter what she was going through.

Her fight ended because someone selfishly decided she didn’t deserve a chance at life. Had she been alive, she would be 21 years old, finishing her degree in criminology and impacting the lives of every person she met. My sister was my best friend and I don’t know how to be myself without her. She didn’t deserve this but she deserves justice. No parent or sibling should ever have to experience this everlasting heartache.

If you have any information regarding Kiran’s death no matter how small or irrelevant you may think it is, I’m pleading to you as someone who has lost their sister and friend to please come forward. Don’t hesitate to contact IHIT or Crime Stoppers if you wish to remain anonymous. Any piece of information is important. Help us fight for her because she’s no longer here to do it herself.

Thank you.