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
Inside Canada's chaotic response to avian flu
A CFIA official is calling it the 'largest animal health emergency that this country has ever had to face.' A joint IJF/CTV News investigation looks into Canada's response to the bird flu pandemic, and how it's ravaged the country's farms.
What Donald Trump's election victory could mean for Canada
Following president-elect Donald Trump's decisive election victory, there are sure to be significant knock-on effects for Canada. Here's a look at the different areas in which a second Trump presidency may affect Canadians.
Cuba left reeling after Category 3 hurricane ravages island and knocks out power grid
Cuba was left reeling Thursday after a fierce Category 3 hurricane ripped across the island and knocked out the country's power grid.
The world's 10 richest people got a record US$64 billion richer from Trump's re-election
Wednesday wasn't just a good day for Donald Trump. The wealth of the world’s 10 richest people also soared by a record amount, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index.
Influencer is banned from future NYC marathons for bringing a camera crew to last weekend's race
A social media influencer from Texas was disqualified from last weekend's New York City Marathon and banned from future competitions after he ran the race with a camera crew on e-bikes in tow.
Sleepy during the day? You may be at higher risk for a pre-dementia syndrome, study finds
If you find yourself sleepy during your daily activities in your older age, you may need to consider it more than an inconvenience — since the fatigue may indicate you’re at higher risk for developing a condition that can lead to dementia, a new study has found.
B.C. man discovers 115 stuffed animals hidden behind wall, begins donating them to people around world
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
Biden gets blamed by Harris allies for the vice president's resounding loss to Trump
Joe Biden's name wasn't on the ballot, but history will likely remember Kamala Harris' resounding defeat as his loss too.
Kamala Harris concedes: Here's what she said in her speech
Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris conceded the U.S. election to Republican Donald Trump Wednesday afternoon, telling her supporters that her 'heart is full.'