Third person in Uber driver killing sentenced to 15 years in prison

Fifty-six-year-old Robert Daignault, the final member of a trio that killed an Uber driver outside of Cochrane, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, following his sentence hearing on Feb. 23, at the Calgary Court of King’s Bench.

Daignault, alongside Trista Tinkler and Andrew Christal, participated in an attempted robbery that turned into the fatal stabbing of 30-year-old Kasif Hirani in December 2019.

Hirani knew Tinkler through her work in the sex trade, and on the night of Dec. 28, she arranged to meet with Hirani for what he believed to be a date. Hirani was instead taken to a remote area west of Calgary, in his own car, and was robbed.

Daignault was operating the vehicle at the time, where he drove the group, including Hirani, to a rural road south of Cochrane. They eventually stopped, and Hirani was taken from the vehicle where he was subsequently assaulted and then stabbed 39 times.

His body would body was left in a ditch on the side of the road, shortly before being discovered by a local resident walking his dogs in the morning of Dec. 29, 2019.

On Jan. 24, Daignault was convicted of manslaughter, after his original charge had been lessened.

In attendance for the hearing was Salmi Khetani, wife of the deceased Hirani. She stood before court where she delivered a victim’s statement.

Khetani noted that they had celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary just before he died.

Alongside sharing the impact Hirani had on her life, the community, and with their loved ones, she also spoke on the mental, physical, and financial toll that followed when she unfortunately lost her husband.

“The sense of security, once enjoyed, has been shattered [and] replaced by fear that permeates our daily lives,” Khetani said, “Every unfamiliar face or unexpected noise sends waves of anxiety through me.

“A constant reminder of irreparable harm that was inflicted upon me and my family.”

She also mentioned that Hirani’s parents were also expected to make their first trip to Canada, but never anticipated it would be for their son’s funeral.

Upon ending her emotional statement, Khetani delivered a poem to the court on behalf of Hirani.

After a 20-minute break, the Court Justice returned where she delivered Daignault’s sentence of 15 years in prison. He also received a lifetime ban from owning weapons and he cannot contact Tinkler, Christal, or Khetani.