OTTAWA -- Gurpreet Ronald, who was convicted of first-degree murder alongside her former lover in the death of his wife, has been denied bail as she awaits a new trial.
Ronald's lawyer Michael Spratt said in a statement Tuesday: "Ms. Ronald and her family are understandably disappointed with the Court's decision denying her bail application. We will now focus on preparing for trial where Ms. Ronald will address these allegations fully and directly and where she is confident she will be vindicated."
Jagtar Gill, a mother of three, was found bludgeoned and stabbed to death in her Barrhaven home on her wedding anniversary in January 2014. It was her 15-year-old daughter who made the disturbing discovery.
Gill’s husband Bhupinderpal and Ronald were convicted in the gruesome killing but their convictions were overturned with a new trial ordered. Ronald is now seeking bail ahead of a new trial next year.
“It brings back a lot of pain and suffering, it brings back a lot of evidence in front of us that we’re trying to move on from,” said Jagtar’s niece Ramandeep Chahal. “Having her released would mean our entire family, friends and community at large would be constantly living in fear.”
Over the course of the trial, court heard Jagtar had been struck 30 times with a weightlifting bar and cut 20 times, including a gash to her throat.
The jury was shown video evidence of Bhupinderpal Gill hiding the weightlifting bar and heard testimony that Ronald’s DNA was all over the crime scene.
Both Bhupinderpal Gill and Ronald maintained their innocence but were ultimately convicted by a jury in July 2016.
In December 2019, the pair won a new trial after the appeal court said the trial judge made a legal error in not instructing the jury to consider a conviction of second-degree murder.
