Although the romantic relationship from high school didn’t end well, Maple Batalia couldn’t have imagined that the tragedy she would endure would be far more horrifying than just threats, stalking, and harassment.
The Talented Girl
Maple Batalia’s parents always wanted a better life for their children. Coming from Mumbai, India, they decided to move to Canada so that their two young daughters could fully realize their potential. Maple, the youngest daughter, was named after a symbolically significant tree in their settling country.
From a young age, Maple was a beautiful, vibrant, and charismatic girl. She always talked about her dreams of becoming a doctor, an astronaut, a model, or an actress. “She always had big dreams,” Maple’s close friend said.
At the age of 14, some of those dreams began to materialize. That year, Maple secured her first modeling contract. Shortly after, she appeared at Vancouver Fashion Week.
Maple also enrolled in acting classes and had representation with the goal of getting closer to her Hollywood aspirations. The beautiful girl even landed a small role in the famous movie “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” in 2011 and appeared in an episode of the TV show The Secret Circle in 2011.
Despite initial success in her modeling and acting career, Maple didn’t forget her dream of becoming a doctor. The girl 19-year-old was studying medicine at Simon Fraser University in Surrey, Canada.
Everything seemed perfect for Maple. But then, at the time she was preparing for the finals of a modeling competition in Canada, tragedy struck.
The Heartbreaking Death
Around 1 a.m. on September 28, 2011, Maple Batalia and a male student left the library on campus after a night class. She hugged her friend goodbye and walked to the parking lot. Shortly after Maple walked towards her car, a series of gunshots suddenly rang out.
Upon arrival at the scene, the police found the girl 19-year-old student lying on the ground covered in blood, barely conscious. The police noticed that the victim appeared to have been stabbed and shot multiple times.
Maple attempted to say something to the police, but her injuries were too severe for her to articulate anything. Maple passed away shortly afterward at a local hospital with 3 gunshot wounds and 11 stab wounds to her head.
Maple’s death left all her relatives and friends deeply shocked and devastated. Upon receiving the dreadful news, Maple’s mother immediately became agitated, grabbing a police officer by the collar and pulling him down, causing their foreheads to touch, then the woman screamed, “Help me get revenge.”
“What has happened to our family? Our beautiful little daughter has gone forever,” her father recounted the painful moment of learning about his daughter’s passing.
The gruesome nature of the murder made investigators suspect that the motive behind the crime was of a personal nature.
The Romantic Relationship
When the police interviewed Maple’s friends and close acquaintances about who might want to harm her, they repeatedly mentioned the name of her ex-boyfriend, Gurjinder “Gary” Dhaliwal.
Maple and Gurjinder started dating in high school. Gurjinder came from a well-known family in the area and was respected by the community. Maple’s parents said their daughter had always been mature, academically successful, and had achievements in life, so they didn’t interfere too deeply in her personal matters. They trusted Maple to be responsible for her decisions.
Maple and Gurjinder had a very romantic relationship during their school days. Gurjinder was always caring, with actions that made his girlfriend feel special. Maple also often received chocolates and flowers delivered to her doorstep. The couple shared common interests in dining and exploring nature.
During those years, Maple’s modeling and acting career also began to make new strides. However, not everyone was happy about this success.
Friends said Gurjinder not only didn’t support but also showed jealousy as his girlfriend became more and more successful. The relationship between the two deteriorated, and they often argued.
The Jealous Boyfriend
After graduating from high school, Gurjinder chose to forgo the path of college to work at his father’s road transportation business, while Maple continued her studies at Simon Fraser University.
By August 2011, their relationship was falling apart. Maple discovered that Gurjinder was not faithful. This left the young student deeply hurt, and she decided to end the relationship.
Maple was ready for a new life, but Gurjinder was not. He wasn’t willing to let Maple go so easily. That’s when Gurjinder’s stalking and harassment began.
From mid-August to late September 2011, he called Maple over 2,000 times and sent thousands of text messages. One evening when Maple was out at a club with a male friend, Gurjinder sent her 300 messages before causing a scene at the club. He spat on one of her male friends outside the club and punched another male friend in a fit of jealousy.
Just a few days before Maple was killed, Gurjinder barged into a café where she was sitting with a male classmate and demanded to know who he was. “He yelled at me: ‘What are you doing? Do you like this guy?’ and then pushed me out,” Maple later told the police. “I was trembling and genuinely scared.”
Gary was arrested and ordered to stay away from his ex-girlfriend and not to contact her.
With the information obtained, the police didn’t take long to put Gurjinder on the suspect list. However, finding evidence to link him to the crime was a much more complex issue.
The Mysterious Car
Examining the crime scene, the police couldn’t find any suitable leads. Moreover, since the murder occurred in the middle of the night, there were no witnesses. The police then utilized the surveillance camera system placed around the school grounds, reviewing footage from the fateful night to piece together Maple’s final moments.
They observed Maple leaving the library with a friend and then walking alone towards the parking lot. Though there were cameras everywhere, unfortunately, the cameras covering the parking lot area happened to scan away from Maple just a few seconds before the murder occurred.
However, the police still spotted a white Dodge Charger with racing-style tail lights speeding out of the parking lot right after the gunshots. A similar car was also seen a few hours before Maple was shot. It trailed behind Maple and her friend as they left the library and passed by a nearby café.
Due to its distinct tail lights, investigators determined that this car belonged to the 2011 model year and began investigating information about all white Dodge Chargers registered that year in British Columbia.
The Murderous Duo
One such car was identified as a rental. Authorities contacted the rental agency and eventually obtained evidence showing that a student named Gursimar Bedi had rented the same make and model of the car around the time Maple was killed. Interestingly, Gursimar Bedi was a friend of Gurjinder.
The car had been returned and was being prepared for cleaning when law enforcement arrived and requested to seize it. They found a 9mm shell casing in the car’s frame matching the shell casings found at the crime scene. Additionally, blood traces belonging to Maple were discovered, and gunshot residue was found on the steering wheel, confirming the car had been used in the crime.
In another piece of evidence, surveillance footage showed Gurjinder accompanying his friend Gursimar to the rental office.
However, the police still needed to determine exactly who was behind the wheel. Based on forensic evidence, they determined the killer was seated in the driver’s seat. Surveillance video showed Gursimar stepping out of the car from the passenger side and entering a building on the school grounds hours before the gunshots occurred. He was also seen trailing behind Maple’s male friend just minutes before the murder.
After months of waiting, investigators finally obtained cellphone records showing Gurjinder present at the crime scene and leaving the school grounds immediately after the murder. Gurjinder and Gursimar were arrested on murder charges. Despite having ample evidence, investigators still hoped for a confession.
The Late Tears
With the evidence obtained, the police arrested Gurjinder “Gary” Dhaliwal and Gursimar Bedi on charges of murdering Gurjinder’s ex-girlfriend, Maple Batalia, a student, actress, and model.
When Gurjinder sat in the interrogation room, investigators questioned him for hours, even showing him photos of his slain ex-girlfriend, but Gurjinder did not confess.
Later, Maple’s mother agreed to talk to Gurjinder over the phone. “Tell me the truth, son,” she said to Gurjinder. The bereaved mother said she didn’t want Gurjinder to be harmed, but she missed her daughter and needed to know what happened to her. “We are all human beings… even if you’ve made mistakes, God forgives. You are my son, I forgive you,” she gently said.
Hearing this, Gurjinder began to cry and then whispered, “I’m so sorry.” Although it wasn’t a full confession, it was enough for prosecutors to proceed with the case.
The Controversial Verdict
Gurjinder and accomplice Gursimar Bedi, on the evening of September 26, 2011, went to Simon Fraser University, where Maple was studying, in a car rented by Gursimar.
Gurjinder asked his friend to check inside the campus. Here, Gursimar called Gurjinder saying he saw Maple but didn’t see her boyfriend. Gurjinder then left without any incident.
The next evening, they returned to the campus. This time, Gursimar reported that Maple and her boyfriend were at the library. Gurjinder sat waiting to confront the other guy.
After finishing classes around 1 a.m., Maple and her friend walked to the parking lot, hugged, and then parted ways. Gurjinder saw this and became enraged. He approached and fired 5 shots at his ex-girlfriend, 3 of which hit her body and arm. Not stopping there, Gurjinder continued to use a knife to strike Maple’s head as she fell to the ground. Gurjinder then got into the rented car and drove away.
Initially, Gurjinder adamantly claimed innocence, but as the trial began, he changed his mind, agreeing to a plea deal. Accordingly, Gurjinder pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 and was sentenced to life imprisonment, with the possibility of parole after 21 years. Meanwhile, his accomplice Gursimar, who helped track Maple for days before the murder and helped Gurjinder leave the crime scene, received an 18-month sentence. Gursimar was released in 2018.
For Maple’s family, the outcome for these two murderers was not justice. They disagreed with this verdict, believing that Gurjinder still had the chance for freedom after taking away the promising life of their 19-year-old daughter. As for Gursimar, despite being an accomplice with a significant role who could have prevented the murder, he received a too lenient sentence.
