Bhupinderpal Gill, Gurpreet Ronald to be tried together in murder case

The two people charged with first-degree murder in the death of Barrhaven mother Jagtar Gill will be tried as co-accused after Crown attorneys entered that request in court Wednesday afternoon.

Gill's husband Bhupinderpal Gill, 38, and his co-worker and neighbour Gurpreet Ronald, 34, made brief appearances in court Wednesday via video link.

Bhupinderpal Gill was arrested Sunday and charged Monday with first-degree murder, as many members of Jagtar Gill's family and Ottawa's Sikh community watched.

Ronald was charged with first-degree murder last week.

Both Bhupinderpal Gill's lawyer Rob McGowan and Ronald's lawyer Bruce Engel say they are waiting for disclosure of evidence so they can prepare for bail hearings. Both lawyers said their clients are good candidates for bail, as they both have children and no previous criminal records.

The pair are scheduled to return to court on April 25 and the co-accused remain incarcerated.

Jagtar Gill, 43, was found dead by her husband and their 15-year-old daughter on Jan. 29 in the living room of their home at 174 Brambling Way.

That was one day after she had hernia surgery and it was also the day of her 17th wedding anniversary.

Police said they found a bloodstained metal bar in a wooded area on the west side of Cedarview Road, about 300 metres north of Cambrian Road.

Sources told CBC News police believe the bar — a 4.5-kilogram metal weightlifting bar — was used to strike Jagtar Gill before she was stabbed.

Surveillance led police to metal bar

Police sources also told CBC News both Bhupinderpal Gill and Gurpreet Ronald had been under surveillance for several weeks.

The bar was also found "weeks" ago after the surveillance began, sources added, and police had taken Bhupinderpal's computer and a bag of personal belongings after their original crime scene investigation.

Bhupinderpal had been asking for the computer and bag back from police and he had called police the day he was arrested, the sources told CBC News.

Family and friends of Bhupinderpal and Jagtar say they've known of marital difficulties in the couple's relationship for several months. Police sources also told CBC News the motive for the killing may have been a love triangle.