A murder trial has begun in Abbotsford for an Indian-origin man accused of fatally stabbing his wife multiple times just days after reuniting with her in Canada.52-year-old Jagpreet Singh is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife, 41-year-old Balwinder Kaur, who is also a mother of two. Prosecutors allege Kaur was stabbed inside her basement in Abbotsford about two years ago.According to the court, Singh arrived in Canada from India on a visitor visa on March 9, 2024. Kaur met him at the airport that day. “Six days later, Ms. Kaur was dead, and Mr. Singh was in police custody,” Crown prosecutor Rob Macgowan told the court, according to CBC news.On Monday, Singh appeared in Abbotsford provincial court with the assistance of a translator. Three police officers testified about their response to the incident. There were no family members of Singh present in the court that day.On the night of March 15, 2024, police were called to a home on Wagner Drive, where Kaur was found unconscious in a basement suite. She was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead just after midnight. Later, Singh was formally charged with second-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty last July, according to his defence lawyer Josh Oppal. The couple married in India in 2000 and had two children. Their daughter moved to Canada in 2021 to attend school but later developed “some serious medical problems,” the prosecutor said. Kaur then came to Canada on a visitor visa to care for her daughter, while Singh remained in India. He later travelled to Canada on a visitor visa in March 2024 after paperwork was submitted by Kaur, the Crown said.Prosecutors told the court that phone records showed no calls or text messages between the couple from January to early March 2024. On February 26, 2024, a WhatsApp system message on Kaur’s phone read, “you unblocked this contact.” On March 9, Kaur shared photos and videos of their airport reunion. Several calls between the couple were recorded between March 10 and 14.On the night of March 15, Kaur made a WhatsApp video call at 9:37 pm to a number linked to her son. That number later called her four times, but the calls went unanswered.Kaur was found lying on her back “in a pool of blood.” There were four stab wounds to Kaur’s neck and four near her chest. A broken steak knife was found at the scene, with the handle near the body.Meanwhile, Singh was found sitting on a couch in the basement. He appeared “scared, in shock” and struggled to understand the police when they spoke to him, possibly because he did not understand English.Constable Nicholas Howden said that Singh was sitting on the ground and “simply staring at us.”
