A first-degree murder charge for Bhupinderpal Gill is the latest twist in an unsettling homicide story.
Gill is the husband of Ottawa’s first homicide victim of 2014 and rumored to be the lover of a woman who was charged with the crime last week.
Relatives say Gill’s late-Sunday morning arrest is both shocking and shameful.
“When I heard police took Bhupinderpal…it was hard to believe for me,” said brother-in-law Kulwinder Sidhu.
Members of the Sikh community packed an Ottawa courtroom Monday to see and hear the latest development first-hand.
Police say the arrest was months in the making. The criminal charge suggests there is enough evidence to connect Gill to the death of his 43-year-old wife Jagtar. She was found murdered in the couple's Barrhaven home Jan. 29.
The woman accused in the case is 34-year-old Gurpreet Ronald. Ronald lived a short walk away from the murder scene, and worked with Jagtar Gill’s husband at OC Transpo. Sources allege the coworkers were lovers.
“Whoever is the culprit should be punished for sure, punished for sure,” said Sikh community leader Sanjogta Bhandari repeatedly.
Bhandari says her heart has been heavy since hearing the latest development and that her anxiety revolves around the children who may be losing more than one parent.
Suspected killer, Ronald, is the mother of two. Jagtar and Bhupinerpal Gill were the parents of three.
Over the weekend, Ottawa police asked for the public’s help as they sought more information around a blood-stained metal bar found in a wooded area near the crime scene. Police say it may be connected to this case.
The investigation is ongoing.
With files from CTV's Catherine Lathem
