A second man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the July 14, 2022 shooting of Surrey businessman Ripudaman Singh Malik, 75, received an automatic life sentence Friday (March 7) in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster with no eligibility to apply for parole for 20 years.

Jose Lopez's accomplice in the murder, Tanner Fox, now 24, of Abbotsford was to life in prison also with no eligibility to apply for parole for 20 years.

Justice Terry Schultes noted Friday that Lopez "unfortunately" assaulted Fox in the courtroom earlier during the case, "a most regrettable event," and took it as an indication he's "still acting according to impulses that take him outside the norms of civilized behaviour, especially in a courtroom setting – although such actions obviously pale in comparison to the shooting."

In a joint submission, the Crown and defence recommended their parole eligibility be set at 20 years, less credit for time served since their arrest on July 26, 2022. That will be July 26, 2042. Both were originally charged with first-degree murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge.      

Fox said he's sorry for shooting Malik but did not reveal who hired him and New Westminster resident Lopez, now 26, to carry out the contract killing.

"I'm sorry for the role I played in this crime," Fox told the court. "I wasn't going to speak originally but being here today I need to say something to the family of the deceased. I know nothing I say will bring him back."

Lopez did not address the court.

Malik was shot multiple times while sitting in his car outside his business, Papillon Eastern Imports, in a business complex at 8236 128 St. in Newton. A stolen white Honda CR-V they used, which was captured on CCTV hours before the shooting, was later found burning in the 12200 block of 82 Avenue.                                 

Malik was acquitted in 2005 of the 1985 Air India Bombing following a lengthy trial in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver. He was found not guilty of eight criminal counts, including bomb-related and first-degree murder charges.

The bombing killed 329 people. Seven Surrey families lost loved ones in the Air India explosion off the coast of Ireland.

The court heard victim impact statements from Malik's family, as they did in Fox's case. 

"It's unfortunate that we're here again and our family has to suffer for a second time," said Sundeep Kaur Dhaliwal, Malik's eldest daughter-in-law. Malik was "admired by people all over the world," she said, referring to him as "Daddy Ji" as well as a "positive powerhouse" and "constant source of strength." 

She reiterated what she told Fox – that they took her "backbone away, but you did not break me. You failed. You tried, but you failed."

"Mr. Lopez, we plead with you to reveal the names of the people who hired you," she told the killer. "That is the only right thing to do."

Dhaliwal said the people who hired him tried unsuccessfully to "erase" Malik's legacy and work. "Too bad for them, we won't let that happen."

Malik's daughter, Kirat Kaur Malik, said her father was "a pillar to the community" who taught her the importance of family. 

"What can I possibly say to these two men and what difference would it make? Nothing I can say here could ever bring my father back and I'm not delusional to think anything I can say would make a difference. Then I thought, I'll use this platform to talk about my father's accomplishments."

"Our community reaps the benefits of his will every single day and his legacy will live on through that," she said. "To many people he was a pillar of the community, a leader, a mentor, but to me he was simply a father. My daddy, and a man who loved his family more than anything."

The court heard Lopez was born in Winnipeg and moved to British Columbia by way of Texas. He lived in Coquitlam, Burnaby, Surrey and New Westminster, frequently changing schools and leaving friends behind. He dropped out of school in Grade 9 and left home when he was 15.

The court heard he feels remorse for his involvement in the murder. Prosecutor Matt Stacey nevertheless said the killers' moral blameworthiness is extremely high.

"They shot him multiple times and this was a planned and deliberate killing, and they were financially compensated for that murder," he told the court.