Police arrest Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been “randomly targeted.”
The suspect, 30-year-old Sabrina Kauldhar, was taken into custody at a hotel in Burlington at around 5:45 p.m. on Thursday.
She has since been charged with one count of second-degree murder in connection with an Oct. 1 homicide in Toronto and two counts of first-degree murder in connection with homicides that took place in Hamilton and Niagara Falls in the days that followed.
“I think by definition she is a serial killer. By definition I think that is a fair comment,” Niagara Regional Police Service Chief Bill Fordy said during a Friday afternoon press conference.
“It’s always difficult speculate on what somebody would do. What I can say is that I am very pleased that we were able to bring this to closure in a quick manner. We have three families here that have lost their loved ones and I think when we have somebody who has committed three offences in a real tight timeline like that there is the risk of them committing further offences.”
The first incident involved a woman in her 60s who was found deceased in a home near Keele and Dundas streets in Toronto on Tuesday afternoon.
Police say that the second incident occurred in John Allan Park in the City of Niagara Falls the following day.
Officers were called to the park for reports of a disturbance just before 3 p.m. When they arrived they located an adult male with critical injuries. The victim, later identified as 47-year-old Lance Cunningham, was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.
The latest incident occurred in Hamilton at around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.
Police say that officers found an unresponsive male in a parking lot on Macnab Street North with “significant injuries consistent with a stabbing.” The victim, who has since been identified as 77-year-old Mario Bilich, was rushed to the hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.
Fordy said that Niagara police were able to identify Kauldhar thanks to video footage.
A link to the homicides in Hamilton and Toronto was then established following her arrest, he said.
Police say that they believe Bilich and Cunningham were “randomly targeted” while Kauldhar was known to the Toronto victim in some way.
“Mario Bilich and Lance Cunningham were both going about their business and we believe they were random attacks. We are not aware of any connection between the victims,” Fordy said. “Any time you have a major case like this it is really important to frontload the investigation. Between our respective agencies we have in excess of 100 investigators trying to understand the reasons something like this take place and gather as much evidence as possible.”
The investigation into the homicides remains ongoing.
Fordy said that investigators are currently speaking with “colleagues across the province to confirm if there are other incidents that might be related.”
He said that officers are canvassing for additional video and working to identify a woman who was seen buying clothing from a Giant Tiger in Burlington on Oct. 1 that Kauldhar was in possession of at the time of her arrest.
“We have an interest in identifying her. One to ensure her safety and two to confirm what role, if any, she played in this offence.” Fordy said.
Few details known about accused
At this point few details have been released about the accused.
Fordy said that while she did not reside in Niagara Region, she did have a “interaction” with police in the region in the past.
As for how she may have travelled between the various scenes, Fordy said that too is unclear.
“Our investigators are in the throes of trying to better understand the timeline but we do know it wasn’t uncommon for her to use public transportation whether taxi or bus routes. In this particular case we don’t know the specific means of travelling but we do know she has used those as a means to travel.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trump wins the White House in political comeback rooted in appeals to frustrated voters
Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
Election takeaways: Trump's decisive victory in a deeply divided nation
Donald Trump scored a decisive victory in a deeply divided nation. And in so doing, the Republican president-elect exposed a fundamental weakness within the Democratic base and beat back concerns about his moral failings, becoming the first U.S. president with a felony conviction.
Republicans take Senate majority and eye unified power with Trump
Republicans have taken control of the U.S. Senate and are fighting to keep their majority in the U.S. House, which would produce a full sweep of GOP power in Congress alongside U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the White House.
B.C. parents sue Irish nanny for quitting on short notice
Two parents filed a lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court last week seeking damages from their former nanny, alleging she quit on short notice and "never said goodbye to the children."
Blues forward leaves rink on stretcher after being struck in neck by puck
St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway left Tuesday night's contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning and departed the rink on a stretcher after being struck by a puck late in the first period.
Lamborghini driver who crashed into parked cars while trying to pass streetcar sentenced to prison
A mortgage broker who totalled his Lamborghini and left a passenger with life-altering injuries after trying to pass a Toronto streetcar at nearly three times the speed limit has been handed a two-and-a-half year prison sentence.
Rescuers pull 30 bodies from a building in central Lebanon hit in an Israeli strike
Lebanese rescuers pulled 30 bodies out of the rubble after a late night Israeli strike on an apartment building in the town of Barja, Lebanon's Civil Defense service said Wednesday as the Mideast wars press on with no signs of abating.
Ben Affleck had this to say about his ex, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck may be going through a divorce, but it sounds like things are amicable.
Democrat Sarah McBride of Delaware to become first openly transgender person to serve in Congress
Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride has been elected to the U.S. House and will become the first openly transgender person to serve in Congress.