AMANDEEP ATWAL

Father guilty of killing daughter in fit of rage

VANCOUVER - A British Columbia man has been convicted of second-degree murder in the July 2003 stabbing death of his teenage daughter.   A jury deliberated for five hours before coming up with the guilty verdict for Rajinder Singh Atwal, 48.   (CBC)   Sentencing hearing for dad who killed daughter     16-year jail term for dad who murdered daughter

  Tragic killing of 'sweet girl' stuns Kitimat

'Biggest shock I've ever had,' says one resident as 17-year-old's father is charged with murder

Lena Sin and Adrienne Tanner

The Province

Sunday, August 03, 2003

KITIMAT -- Amandeep Atwal left home on July 19 without saying a word.

Fearing her parents would try to stop her from moving to Prince George with her boyfriend, the 17-year-old just packed her bags and left a note.

As family members and friends tell the story, Amandeep's mother tracked down the couple before they left and asked her daughter to stay. By the evening, however, her father had decided to let his daughter go.

A few days later, the Atwal family left Kitimat for a trip to Vancouver and picked up Amandeep in Prince George.

Her boyfriend, Todd McIsaac, 19, thought Amandeep would return to Prince George in a week.

But by Wednesday, she was dead.

Police who attended Langley Memorial Hospital, where they were called to investigate a suspicious death, say she died from multiple stab wounds.

Amandeep's father, Rajinder Atwal, 46, is charged with second-degree murder in his daughter's death.

The community in Kitimat is struggling to explain how such a tragedy could rip apart such an outwardly loving family.

Whether it's at the 24-hour Esso station late at night or Rosario's restaurant, where Amandeep worked, people everywhere in this sleepy community can be heard expressing concern for the Atwals and Todd.

"It's the biggest shock I've ever had," said Kyle Gonzalez, who knew both Amandeep and Todd. "I was speechless."

Gonzalez, 16, who attends Mount Elizabeth Secondary School, where the couple had just graduated, said everyone knew about the nearly three-year-long romance. Everyone, that is, except Amandeep's parents.

"They were always together, always holding hands in the high school hall, driving together, [but] everybody knew that kind of stuff shouldn't be happening," Gonzalez said.

Friends say the love affair was kept quiet because Amandeep feared her parents would disapprove of her dating outside the Sikh community.

Then Amandeep got into a car crash in June, with Todd by her side, and the secret was out.

Family friends who attended the same Sikh temple as the Atwals say the loving, tight-knit family didn't have a problem with Amandeep dating outside the community. Amandeep's older brother, Nawinder, at one time had a white girlfriend the family knew about.

"He [Rajinder Atwal] was very lenient, a very gracious father," said Prithipal Chhina. "He was an active, moderate Sikh."

Amandeep, who loved hip-hop and R&B music, was a bubbly, sweet girl and would often go to the gym with her father, an enthusiastic weightlifter.

Members of the Sikh temple said Rajinder had bought a house in Surrey and was planning to move the family there. Their modest Kitimat home with pale pink siding and white stucco was put up for sale in April.

Rajinder, a senior cell operator with Alcan, was planning to continue working in Kitimat while his three children and wife lived in the Lower Mainland, where they have many relatives.

A family member said the Atwals are devastated and don't know what happened.

Todd, who is in shock, has been seeking counselling.

"He's devastated," said his aunt, Bev McIsaac. 

On Tuesday, friends will hold a vigil for Amandeep, the popular student with an infectious smile."She was a really sweet girl, really kind," said childhood friend Manjit Kang, 18. 

"She was always there for me. Whenever I needed help with my homework, she'd come over and help me. She was a really sweet girl."

At Rosario's restaurant, the mood was somber as co-workers struggled to put on a brave face. A picture of a beaming Amandeep wearing braces hangs in the entrance -- a poignant reminder of how much she will be missed.

© Copyright 2003 Vancouver Province