Tenant testifies at second-degree murder trial of Jaspal Singh Sidhu

A tenant took the stand Wednesday to explain what he heard before police discovered Balbir Singh Sidhu dead in his Guelph home. Ashley Bacon reports.

Warning: This story contains disturbing details of a crime scene.

The man who called 911 to a Guelph home, where Balbir Singh Sidhu was later found stabbed to death, testified Wednesday at the second-degree murder trial of the victim’s son Jaspal Singh Sidhu.

Tapan Patel was one of five tenants living the basement of Hands Drive home on Feb. 28, 2023.

“I was having lunch. All of a sudden, I hear shouting upstairs,” he told the court. “The shouting escalated, and I thought it must be serious.”

Patel said he went to check upstairs but, after seeing the front door of the home open, he returned to the basement and called 911.

“I recognized the landlord’s voice through the shouting,” he testified. “I couldn’t tell who the second voice belonged to.”

On Tuesday, another tenant took the stand and told the court he also heard yelling and arguing that day but left for work before first responders arrived at the home.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Daniel Smyk, who performed the autopsy on Balbir Singh Sidhu, also testified Wednesday.

He confirmed that “[the victim] died of stab wounds to his torso.”

Court previously heard that Balbir Singh Sidhu was stabbed eight times. When first responders found him, the 68-year-old had a large kitchen knife sticking out of his body and he was holding the handle. A broken knife was also found beside his body.

Chadd McNeilly, a forensic identification officer with the Guelph Police Service who took the stand Tuesday, also finished his testimony.

Evidence presented

The jury was shown a photograph of LCBO bags that were inside Jaspal Singh Sidhu’s bedroom, along with alcohol and a receipt that indicated they had been purchased the morning of the stabbing.

One of the bottles had 7.7 ounces of alcohol missing, while a can was found empty. Cannabis-related items in the room were also seized by police and examined by their forensics team.

Previous testimony

Two Guelph Police officers, who initially responded to the stabbing, testified on Monday and Tuesday.

Video from their body-worn cameras was also shown to the jury.

In it, Jaspal Singh Sidhu could be heard saying: “Dad tried to kill me.”

“I just countered, I just tried to protect myself. I’m sorry,” he continued in the video. “He went back to the kitchen to get a bigger knife. I don’t know what the [expletive] happened. I blacked out. I’m sorry.”

The trial is expected to continue Thursday.