The family of slain New Westminster senior Charan Dhandwar is upset the killer appears to be getting support from his former BCIT instructor.

In June 2015, Dhandwar, 79, was brutally beaten to death by Julien Levasseur, 24, while she was out for a walk near her New Westminster home.

Levasseur pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the case, and a provincial court judge heard the killing was triggered by a drug-induced psychosis, brought on a by a mix of LSD and MDMA known as 'candy flipping.'

At the sentencing hearing this week, Levasseur's lawyer, Joseph Saulnier, told court the killer is a good candidate for rehabilitation.

He was described as an "exceptional student" with lots of support from family and members of his community.

Saulnier said one of Levasseur's instructors at BCIT wrote a letter saying he was the "brightest math student" she'd had in 35 years of teaching.

The letter of support was from the individual instructor and wasn't written on behalf of the college.

The instructor has stayed in touch with Levasseur and even sent him advanced mathematics textbooks in jail.

Julien Levasseur, seen in this courtroom sketch from 2016, was described as an exceptional math student. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter after brutally beating a woman to death in 2015. (Felicity Don)

Saulnier said that, at the time of the bail hearing, Levasseur planned to resume his studies, and it appeared BCIT was willing to take him back as a student.

"We were just hurt by hearing … that an institution such as BCIT would gladly accept someone who did such a heinous and disgusting act," said Sarah Dhillon, Dhandwar's granddaughter, who also mentioned the textbooks being sent to Levasseur.

"Our family, of course, is really appalled right now to hear about what's going on," she said.

"Someone excelling at math has nothing really to do with their character and how they treat others and his act ... Murdering someone should not be dismissed by their math scores."

Courtroom apology

Levasseur read a statement to Dhandwar's family in court, apologizing for the horror and suffering he caused.

"I'm very sorry," he said on Thursday. "I'm prepared to accept the consequences of my actions."

BCIT released a very brief emailed statement saying the school could not comment on current or former students.

"The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority. We have a number of policies and mechanisms that support this commitment," the statement read.

"We would like to extend our thoughts and sympathies to the victim's family," read the statement.

Saulnier recommended a sentence of five to seven years in the case.

The Crown prosecutor recommended eight to 10 years.

The judge is scheduled to give her decision later in January.

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