Indian migrant murdered wife at $1.3m mansion just six days after he arrived in Canada

By NATASHA ANDERSON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 18:24, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 18:25, 2 July 2026 An Indian migrant who stabbed his wife to death at $1.3 million mansion just six days after moving to Canada has been convicted of murder. Jagpreet Singh intentionally killed his 41-year-old wife Balwinder Kaur in a rented basement suite of a gorgeous home in Abbotsford on March 15, 2024, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Andrea Ormiston has now ruled. Kaur was stabbed seven times in her neck and chest, with the coroner ruling that she died of significant blood loss, the court heard. Singh, during his trial, did not deny stabbing his wife of 20 years, but claimed that he did so only after Kaur swung a knife at him first. He claimed the pair were arguing about him needing to get a job when the altercation turned physical, with him punching her in the face, the judge wrote in her decision. Singh testified that he went to apologize to Kaur, but she brandished the knife, the court filing said.  He told the court that he 'accidentally poked her with the knife in her stomach' while trying to disarm her and claimed he had 'no memory' of the deadly attack that followed, according to the filing. Singh said he did not intend to kill his wife and only did so 'in the heat of passion caused by sudden provocation,' the court heard. He argued that he should have be convicted of a lesser charge of manslaughter, but the judge has now formally rejected his argument and convicted him of second-degree murder. Balwinder Kaur, left, was fatally stabbed seven times in the neck and chest by her husband Jagpreet Singh, right, at their residence in Abbotsford, British Columbia, a court heard Kaur and Singh had gone to a gurdwara, a Sikh house of worship, and the mall on the night of the fatal stabbing, the court filing said. The couple took an Uber home around 9.30pm, with prosecutors estimating that Kaur was killed within an hour of their return.  A neighbor visited their basement suite at 10.38pm and found Kaur lying on the floor in the doorway with a 'large pool of blood around her.' Singh was on the sofa nearby.  The couple were the only people in the unit when officers arrived on the scene, the court heard. He was arrested immediately. Kaur was taken to nearby Abbotsford Hospital for emergency treatment, but doctors were unable to save her. She was pronounced dead just after midnight on March 16. In her June 2026 decision, Justice Ormiston ruled that Singh presented 'untrustworthy and unreliable' evidence that failed to raise 'reasonable doubt' about his intention to kill his wife. 'I have found Mr Singh's evidence about what transpired between him and Ms Kaur in the time leading up to her death to be entirely unreliable, particularly on critical points such as the nature of the conflict between them before Ms Kaur was stabbed, and Mr Singh's ensuing memory loss,' she wrote.  She also dismissed the suggestion that Singh stabbed his wife in an act of self defense. 'Even though I do not accept the exculpatory evidence given by Mr Singh, I have considered the prospect that Ms Kaur could have been the aggressor and Mr Singh's conduct defensive,' she wrote. 'While self defense was not advanced by Mr Singh, I have considered all possible defenses in assessing whether the evidence in this case is capable of raising a reasonable doubt about his guilt. Self defense requires clarity as to the accused's purpose, which is not at all present here.' The couple were living in the basement suite of this $1.3 million mansion at the time of the murder. A neighbor found Kaur lying on the floor in the doorway with a 'large pool of blood around her,' the trial heard Justice Ormiston further argued that in case of self defense, the defendant's conduct must be 'reasonable in the circumstances.' 'When it comes to reasonableness, even if I were to accept Mr Singh's version of events, which I do not, Mr Singh disarmed Ms Kaur once without incident,' she wrote. 'When he says she retrieved the knife a second time, he remembers that he was able to redirect the knife to Ms Kaur.' The judge concluded: 'The Crown evidence establishes that he then proceeded to stab her repeatedly. There is no reasonable basis on which Mr. Singh could be found to have acted in self defense on these facts.' He is due back in court in October to confirm completion of a psychiatric assessment, the BC Prosecution Service told CTV News. A date for Singh's sentencing has not yet been set. Singh moved to Canada from India on March 9, 2024, the judge's decision said.  His wife had relocated to the country in 2022 to assist their daughter who was attending university in there. Singh financially assisted his wife's move, including using funds borrowed from a friend, the filing said. After Kaur relocated, Singh applied to join her was his application was denied. He then applied a second time and was granted permission to come to Canada. 'Ms Kaur is the one who submitted the paperwork to request Mr Singh's visa,' the judge wrote, noting that 'he was staying with Ms Kaur in her basement suite in Abbotsford.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.