Crown testimony has ended in Jaspal Singh Sidhu’s second-degree murder trial.
But Wednesday’s proceedings may have left more questions than answers to the 12-person jury.
The main question: who or what caused the large rip in the back of the shirt Balbir Singh Sidhu was wearing when he was allegedly killed by his son at their Guelph home on Feb. 28, 2023?
That shirt was brought in on the eighth day of the trial in Guelph’s Superior Court of Justice.
Forensic identification Det. Cst. Jennifer Purdy brought not only the shirt, but also the blood-stained pants Jaspal was wearing when he was arrested.
She was the officer who photographed Jaspal at the Guelph police station about an hour after he was arrested. She also took photos of Balbir’s body at the Centre of Forensic Sciences (CFS) during his autopsy days later.
On Jaspal, Purdy said she didn’t smell alcohol or marijuana on him.
In terms of injuries, she told the jury she didn’t notice any, other than a cut on his right ring finger. She also noted “some faint red/brown staining” on his right hand, suspected and later confirmed to be blood transferred.
She said throughout, Jaspal was cooperative.
“He was almost assisting with the process,” she said, adding Jaspal didn’t complain of any pain.
When attention turned to Balbir’s shirt, the rip became the centre of attention.
The shirt was still on Balbir when he was brought to CFS, and Purdy was responsible for maintaining the integrity of the clothing to this point.
“You didn’t do anything to the shirt?” asked defence attorney David Doney.
“No,” Purdy answered.
The shirt displayed a vertical rip that extended from near the collar to near the bottom, with the bottom of the shirt still intact.
There was no hole in the front of the shirt, upon Purdy’s “quick examination” on the spot in court.
The morning saw three Guelph police officers asked about their presence at the scene.
Det. Cst. Taylor Vajushi-Cooper was a constable at the time. He said he helped clear the house and didn’t make any contact with Balbir’s body, nor did he see anyone doing anything to the body or the shirt.
He spent his time putting police tape up to secure the scene.
Det. Cst. Ryan Horvat, also a constable at the time, told the jury he spent most of his time outside the front door for officer safety, and also put up police tape. He said he didn’t go near the body, and didn’t hear anything about the shirt.
Cst. Andrew Hildebrandt arrived to the home, walked in and saw Jaspal face down and handcuffed.
He said he “held the stairwell” so officers were safe when clearing the house.
He said he could see someone’s legs from where he was standing in the home, and wasn’t aware Balbir was deceased. Hildebrandt said he didn’t approach the body.
“I did not see the shirt,” he said.
The mystery led to an amendment to the agreed statement of facts, saying the continuity of exhibits presented at the trial were admitted, except for Balbir’s shirt.
Balbir was on his back at the time of death.
While the rip in his shirt remains unexplained, one question has been answered: the defence will present evidence Thursday morning.
