SURREY - Police are not revealing why they think a Surrey man murdered a Delta man last winter and then two women in New Westminster nearly six months later.
Sarbjit Bains, 32, of Surrey is accused of murdering Delta's Amritpal Saran, 29, in February and then New Westminster's Karen Nabors and Jill Lyons in August.His alleged accomplice in the Saran case, Surrey woman Evelina Urbaniak, 36, is accused of being an accessory after the fact.Saran's charred body was found in the 12100-block of Colebrook Road in rural Surrey on Feb. 24, 2013. Police have not released the cause of his death.Then, on Aug. 12, Lyons' body was found in her apartment in New Westminster. Less than two weeks later, on Aug. 25, Nabors' body was found inside her apartment, in the same complex where Lyons lived.Supt. Kevin Hackett, in charge of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Unit, would not reveal a motive for the killings, noting the case is now before the courts.Hackett did say, however, that video surveillance and security cameras played a "crucial, key role in securing evidence" against the accused.Bains has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the cases of Lyons and Nabors, and second-degree murder and committing an indignity to human remains in Saran's case.Urbaniak is charged with committing an indignity to human remains and accessory after the fact, in the Saran case.Saran's younger sister, Simrit Saran, said Amritpal was "an amazing son and a wonderful older brother."He was a wonderful kind man," she said."The type of person you could call at any time of the day, and he'd be there for you."Amrit was full of life and energy."God did not give us the power to take someone's life away," Simrit said, as her grieving mother Jatinder Saran embraced a large framed photo of her boy."To the cowards that did this to our Amrit, you must have thought you got away, but this is just the beginning," Simrit said."Your suffering starts now."Chief Supt. Bill Fordy, in charge of the Surrey RCMP, and New Westminster's police chief, Dave Jones, shared their condolences."As a parent, I can only guess at the pain they've endured," Jones said.Lyons' mom, Sheri Hickman, said her daughter was "adorable" and sweet. "We have a hole in our hearts," she said.Nabor's dad, Herb Auerbach, said he hopes to learn about the motive for his daughter's murder in the months to come."We always believe events like these happen to others," he said. "She was a wonderful and vital human being."tzytaruk@thenownewspaper.com