Gurpreet Ronald charged with 1st-degree murder of Jagtar Gill
CBC News | Posted: April 9, 2014 1:43 PM | Last Updated: April 10, 2014
Gill, 43, found stabbed to death in her home in January; suspect linked with DNA evidence, source says
Gurpreet Ronald, a 34-year-old married mother of two, has been charged with first-degree murder after Jagtar Gill was found stabbed to death in her Barrhaven home more than two months ago.
Gill, 43, was found dead in her home by her husband and 15-year-old daughter on Jan. 29 — one day after she had hernia surgery, and also the day of her 17th wedding anniversary — in the living room of her home at 174 Brambling Way.
A police source told CBC News DNA evidence was used to link Ronald to the homicide. Ronald was under police surveillance early on in the homicide investigation and officers obtained DNA samples without her knowledge, the source said. Ronald was later asked by police to give a blood sample voluntarily.
Ronald was arrested Tuesday morning and contacted a lawyer.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Ronald's first appearance in Ottawa court took place just after 11 a.m. Wednesday after being delayed several times that day, and about 30 of Gill's friends and family members gathered at the courthouse to watch. Among them were Gill's widower and their children.
Ronald's next court appearance is scheduled for April 16, by video link.
Sources told CBC News Ronald is not a member of the Gill family, and that she was arrested Tuesday afternoon at Greenbank Police Station after police asked her to show up there of her own accord.
Ronald lives on Towhee Place, one street over from the Gill family home. Sources said Ronald works for OC Transpo with Gill's husband, Bhupinderpal, and that Ronald and Bhupinderpal were close.
Four days after the homicide, someone using Gurpreet Ronald's Facebook account — listed under her maiden name, Gurpreet Brar — wrote a message of condolence on a newspaper's post about Gill's death.
Gill's death was Ottawa's first homicide of 2014.
She is survived by her husband and their three children, aged 15, 10 and 8.