SURREY, British Columbia, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A young Canadian man is facing charges he gunned down his ex-girlfriend, college student Maple Batalia, authorities say.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team in Surrey, British Columbia, said Saturday Gurjinder "Gary" Dhaliwal, 20, is charged with first-degree murder and Gursimar Bedi, 22, is charged with manslaughter and being an accessory after the fact. They remained in police custody following their arrest Friday and are to have a court appearance Monday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
Batalia, 19, was fatally wounded on the third floor of a parking garage at the Central City Shopping Centre adjacent to Simon Fraser University's building in Surrey early on Sept. 28, 2011.
"The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team does not have the ability to undo this terrible loss, but we do have the responsibility and the duty to meticulously investigate and gather the evidence required to bring those responsible before the courts to face justice," the team's Kevin Hackett said.
Batalia's sister Roseleen said getting word of the arrests was "bittersweet."
"It was definitely a long wait, but it was worth the wait," she said. "Hopefully we'll get some sort of closure out of this ... . We won't get her back, but it definitely will help in the healing process. We can finally start to grieve."
Police declined to reveal how investigators arrived at the decision to charge the two suspects, the CBC said.
