Richmond's Aneil Sanghera had entered a plea of guilty to the manslaughter of 41-year-old Pardeep “Terry” Dulay who was found dead by guests during a wedding ceremony at the Fraserview Hall in South Vancouver in 2017. Sanghera and Dulay were cousins. DESIBUZZCanada was the only local news outlet to report last week that the Dulay murder trial was slated to begin on Monday, January 13 at the BC Supreme Court in downtown, Vancouver.

VANCOUVER – Family and friends of the victim and accused were nearly at each other’s throats following a guilty plea by an Indo-Canadian man accused of killing his cousin.

Richmond's Aneil Sanghera had entered a plea of guilty to the manslaughter of 41-year-old Pardeep “Terry” Dulay who was found dead by guests during a wedding ceremony at the Fraserview Hall in South Vancouver in 2017. Sanghera and Dulay were cousins.

Before accepting the guilty plea, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Margot Fleming asked Sanghera whether the plea was “informed, voluntary and unequivocal.”

Through his lawyer, Joven Narwal, Sanghera agreed he hadn’t been coerced and had entered the plea with the knowledge that sentencing was up to the discretion of the judge.

Family tensions rose quickly following the guilty plea and as soon as B.C. Supreme Court Justice Margot Fleming dismissed the court — which was-standing room only — it erupted into shouting.

 “He killed their own blood,” one woman said loudly outside the courtroom, an apparent reference to the family connection between the two men.

“I can’t believe you don’t feel sorry for what happened here,” said another woman, speaking to the accused’s family.

As Sanghera was escorted out of the chambers, the heated exchange between the two sides of the family spilled into the halls outside the courtroom.

Many members of Dulay's family were clutching his portrait.

Courtroom sheriffs had to place themselves between the two sides to control the situation.

DESIBUZZCanada was the only local news outlet to report last week that the Dulay murder trial was slated to begin on Monday, January 13 at the BC Supreme Court in downtown, Vancouver.

Sanghera was charged with manslaughter in the 2017 death of his cousin Dulay at a wedding at Fraserview Hall in Vancouver.

Vancouver Police Detectives from the VPD’s Major Crime Section arrested Sanghera following an investigation into the death of a man at a wedding celebration in on April 15, 2017.

Police and the BC Ambulance Service were called around 11:30 p.m. on that day to the Fraserview Hall in South Vancouver after 41-year-old Richmond resident Dulay was found deceased by party guests.

It originally appeared that Dulay had died of natural causes, but information collected at the scene showed the victim had been involved in a physical altercation just before his death.

Sanghera, who was 28 years old at the time of the crime, was later charged and arrested.

Members of the victim’s family gathered around Crown counsel outside court, as a number of sheriffs stood by making sure that the two families remained apart.

Sanghera, who was dressed in a suit and tie and sat quietly in the prisoner’s dock during the brief court appearance, will next appear on Jan. 22 to set a date for sentencing. He will remain on bail until the sentencing.