Pleads guilty to manslaughter in the killing of Juvraj Jabal
An Ontario man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for the 2022 manslaughter of a Surrey man and the aggravated assault of a woman in a targeted shooting that sent shockwaves through the Fraser Heights community, said Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) in a media release.
Yusuf Kontos, 26, of Richmond Hill, Ont., pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of 24-year-old Juvraj Jabal and to the aggravated assault of Jasmine Lindstrom, then 20, who was also shot but survived.
A Fatal Night
The incident occurred on the night of February 8, 2022. According to an agreed statement of facts, Kontos had been socializing with both victims, using drugs, before the situation turned violent.
The trio was in a rental car, with Lindstrom driving, Jabal in the front passenger seat, and Kontos in the back. At approximately 11:30 p.m., as the car was on 170A Street near 102 Avenue, Kontos shot Jabal in the head. Lindstrom accelerated the vehicle in an attempt to escape. About nine seconds after the first shot, Kontos shot Lindstrom on the right side of her face. Kontos then took Lindstrom’s phone as she tried to call 911, discarding it and the firearm—a .45 calibre Glock semi-automatic pistol—which was later found under a tree at a nearby elementary school.
Investigation and Arrest
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) led a complex, cross-province investigation. “Our teams worked diligently and in close partnership to solve these crimes and provide closure to the victims’ families and our communities,” said a police representative in a related statement. Nearly two years after the crime, on January 23, 2024, Kontos was arrested in Richmond Hill, Ont. He was initially charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder.
Legal Outcome and Sentencing
On September 18, 2025, in B.C. Supreme Court, Justice Heather Holmes accepted Kontos’s guilty plea to the lesser charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault. He was sentenced on September 26, 2025, receiving 12 years for manslaughter and a concurrent eight-year sentence for the aggravated assault. The sentence was reduced by two-and-a-half years for pretrial custody, resulting in a net sentence of about nine-and-a-half years.
Impact on the Victims
Juvraj Jabal, 24, was pronounced in hospital after succumbing to his injuries. At the time of his death, he was known to police for gang affiliations and had previous convictions for drug trafficking. Jasmine Lindstrom survived but endured weeks of hospitalization. The agreed statement of facts noted that she “continues to experience physical and psychological symptoms related to her injuries. She has pain in her jaw, part of her face is numb, and she has hearing loss, ringing and buzzing in her right ear.”
A Cross-Province Effort for Closure
Sgt. Freda Fong of IHIT stated the squad “relentlessly pursued all investigative avenues, which led to the identification of Mr. Kontos,” and credited the collaborative work with counterparts in Ontario for the successful resolution. “As the court proceedings come to an end, we wish for closure upon the victim families,” she said.
