A British Columbia man who, after killing his wife, once tried to claim that burning her body and vehicle was part of a “respectful cremation” has been given a day’s probation.
The Parole Board of Canada made its decision on Mukhtiar Panghali last week after weighing details of his crime and the progress he has made since he was sentenced to life in prison more than a decade ago.
Panghali was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 15 years. He has served about 11 years behind bars and will now stay in a residential facility or community correctional center at night.
He is also subject to a number of conditions, including not having any contact with the victim’s family, including his daughter, unless he has written permission from his supervisor.
ELEMENTS OF CRIMES
Panghali was convicted of second-degree murder and indecency with a corpse in the 2006 death of his wife.
Manjit Panghali was 31 years old and also a teacher.
During Panghali’s trial in 2011, the court heard that the victim was four months pregnant with the couple’s second child at the time. Her body and vehicle were found burnt on a beach in Delta after Panghali reported her missing.
He told police his wife went to prenatal yoga and never came home. Parole board documents say Panghali waited 26 hours to report her missing and, after her body was found and in the months that followed, tried to blame others.
Among the suspects he suggested might be responsible was Manjit’s own brother.
Panghali became a suspect and the court heard during his trial that diary entries from the victim suggested he was trying to make the marriage work.
She had written in her diary that she and her husband struggled with many issues, including “sex, drugs, alcohol, colleagues and family”.
The court heard that Manjit’s death was violent. Her cause of death was strangulation, but injuries to her body included blunt force trauma to her pelvis and neck.
Second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence in BC, but judges then determine eligibility for parole.
The Panghali judge said he had run away with a period of 15 years because of the aggravating factors in the woman’s death, including violence and that she was pregnant.
The evidence was circumstantial but strong, the judge said.
After the trial, Panghali attempted to appeal his conviction. He said Manjit’s death was accidental and the burning of her body was meant as a “respectful cremation”.
The Court of Appeal didn’t buy it.
After his conviction and appeal, Panghali was stripped of his teaching license. He has been barred from the profession for 25 years.
Years later he was ordered to pay more than $600,000 in restitution to his wife’s family.
Manjit Panghali is seen in an undated photo.
“SMART ENOUGH NOT TO BE CAUGHT”
During Panghali’s post-conviction hearings and meetings, including those held years after his sentence, it emerged that Panghali had been thinking about killing his wife for years, the parole board said.
This was because he believed he was not valued, according to the board.
They had fought over the family before her death and at one point he said his parents and siblings were “dead to her”, the council said. At that point, Panghali admitted, he decided to kill her.
“You admitted to causing a fight with the victim to become physical in order to end her life by using a choke hold on her before she passed out. You also admitted to burning the victim’s body to avoid arrest, thinking you were clever enough not to get caught,” the board wrote in a message addressed to Panghali.
JUSTIFICATION OF THE DISMISSAL BOARD
Now in his 50s, Panghali has spent years behind bars, participating in programs and counseling sessions designed in part to make him understand what happened and how to prevent it in the future.
“You note that there is a lot of work to do to repair the damage you have caused,” the board said.
“While your index offense was serious and violent, resulting in the loss of life of the victim and causing significant psychological harm and trauma to the victim’s family, you have taken a number of steps over the years to address the risk factors.”
Before the parole board’s decision, Panghali said he was “raised around violence in relationships and (was) unable to handle the dynamics” on his own.
According to the board, he has come to terms with the impact that domestic violence in his upbringing had on his approach to relationships.
He acknowledged that he had been “manipulative and mean” to his wife and expressed remorse for his “regressive and rather archaic attitudes and beliefs about marriage and intimate relationships”.
He has completed about 40 to 50 programs, including those focused on nonviolent communication.
When he was first locked up, he fought with other inmates, but has been out of trouble for the past five years in three institutions, the board said.
His psychological assessment included that he was considered a ‘low-moderate’ risk of violent offending on day release and recommended a gradual return to normal life, starting with temporary unescorted absences (UTAs) and then transitioning to day release.
He had eight or more UTAs without a problem, the board said.
However, his psychological assessment suggested he should still be considered a “high risk” for domestic violence.
Mukhtiar Panghali appears in a court sketch.
CONDITIONS
Despite the risk of partner violence, the board decided to go ahead with six months of day parole.
Panghali, who had no criminal record before his wife’s murder, has the support of his family and a pastor, as well as some support groups.
He has benefited from programs in prison and would do well to continue that work, the board said, but has exhausted all those programs he can complete while incarcerated and can instead seek similar options in the community.
As for finding work, Panghali can no longer teach, but the council said he was encouraged by his work at the prison, including in construction and as a teacher.
During the day parole, Panghali will have to continue his treatment plan, which includes “emotion management,” healthy relationships and domestic violence prevention.
He is not allowed to use alcohol or drugs and must report all relationships to his supervisor.
He is already under a lifetime weapons ban, imposed when he was convicted, and required to submit his DNA to law enforcement.
Panghali also cannot have any contact with his wife’s family, including his daughter, unless he has written permission from his superior.
The board said it was in contact with his daughter until 2019, when she asked for space. He hopes to have a relationship with her in the future, the board said, but respects her wishes.
