‘Forbidden Love: Dying for Love,’ season 3 episode 7 of Investigation Discovery, examines the grisly 2003 murder of 17-year-old Amandeep Atwal.
The dead British Columbia teenager was taken to the hospital with many stab wounds, and her death shocked the country. Let’s take a look at what happened to Amandeep and where her killer is now.
What Caused Amandeep Atwal’s Death?
Amandeep Atwal, a 17-year-old Sikh from Kitimat, British Columbia, was killed. Her ancestors were from Punjab, India, and had immigrated to Canada more than two decades before.
Those who knew Amandeep described her as a warm, friendly, charismatic, and bright-eyed individual. She cherished her family and friends and aspired to be successful and own a trademark one day.
She was also one of her high school’s top students and worked part-time as a waitress in a neighbourhood coffee shop and restaurant.
Rajinder Atwal, Amandeep’s father, worked in an aluminium factory and was renowned for being a reserved man who spoke little.
He was a lot more forgiving with his son Nawinder than he was with his daughter. While Amandeep’s brother was permitted to date, she and her sister were not and were expected to marry in an arranged marriage.
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She chose to keep her connection with lover Todd McIsaac hidden from her family for this reason. Todd and Amandeep met in high school biology class and instantly grew attracted to each other.
As soon as Todd asked Amandeep out, the couple had to take many steps to make sure her family didn’t find out. Her parents eventually found out about her and Todd after the couple was involved in a car accident in June 2003.
After graduation, Amandeep and Todd decided to move to Prince George. Her father Rajinder, on the other hand, requested that she accompany the family on a visit to relatives in Vancouver in July 2003, and she accepted.
After arriving at the Langley Memorial Hospital on July 30, 2003, Rajinder informed staff that Amandeep had committed suicide with a kitchen knife in his car on the way back from Prince George.
She had died, and an examination indicated that she had 11 stab wounds, four of which were fatal, including punctures to both lungs, the abdomen, and the throat. In addition, a cut wound on her face was detected.
Rajinder told medical staff that the youngster stabbed herself in the passenger seat while he was stopped at a rest stop in Cache Creek, about a three-hour journey north of the hospital.
Who Killed Amandeep Atwal And Why?
Despite Rajinder Atwal’s claims that Amandeep committed suicide by stabbing herself, her autopsy indicated otherwise. The pathologist testified that some of the lesions on her body, particularly the one that sliced her face, were inflicted after she died.
This terrible evidence would be enough to prove that the adolescent had been savagely fatally stabbed in the car by Rajinder Atwal, the driver. As a result of his arrest and prosecution, horrific information about his relationship with his daughter surfaced.
Because of Rajinder’s rigorous approach with Amandeep, she and Todd went to great lengths to ensure that he was unaware of their relationship.
Todd secretly visited her while her parents were away, and the young teenagers used secret codes like “bacon and eggs” to say “I love you” over the phone. They also tried to avoid being noticed by members of her community in town.
Despite the fact that they were somewhat open about their relationship in school, Todd’s father was aware of and supportive of the couple.
However, things took a turn for the worse when Amandeep’s family decided to sell their home in February 2003 and relocate to Surrey.
As a result, she was caught in a catch-22 situation: she didn’t want to defy her parents, yet she couldn’t leave Todd behind. On June 2, 2003, the couple skipped school and travelled to Terrace in her parents’ car after a few months of minimal interactions.
They were involved in an automobile accident and transported to the hospital as a result of speeding on the way back.
Meanwhile, Amandeep’s parents arrived and learned of their daughter’s secret romance for the first time. Amandeep told Todd that a furious Rajinder had called her a shame & hoped that she and her partner had died, according to the show.
Her parents addressed the despondent adolescent, and she and Todd decided to relocate to Prince George together. Her mother followed her to his place the next morning, and they had a huge fight.
Amandeep’s parents eventually consented to let her live with Todd, and the two adolescents spent three days in Prince George.
But shortly Rajinder went there and invited her to travel with the family for a week to Vancouver. In a fit of rage, the father stabbed his daughter numerous times to death in his car’s passenger seat while they were driving back through the Fraser River Valley.
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Where is Rajinder Atwal Now?
Rajinder was sentenced to life in prison with the chance of parole after 16 years for second-degree murder.
He was given day parole for six months in December 2018, allowing him to spend the day at home under certain circumstances and returning to his penitentiary cell at night.
The Parole Board of Canada extended his day parole in June 2019. However, the jury ultimately refused him full parole, citing the possibility that his return to his previous surroundings would pose a comparable risk. He is almost certainly serving his time in a Canadian prison.
Final Conclusions
It disgusts me that he can be let out for the day after murdering his own daughter. I’m not familiar with the Canadian legal system, but if similar crime had occurred in the United States, he would almost certainly not have been granted parole. Amandeep was not given the due process she deserved.
