'He had no intention of killing Miss Taggart': Accused to take the stand in first degree murder trial

Windsor, Ont. -

Jitesh Bhogal will testify Wednesday to explain his actions on the night of June 10 2018, when Autumn Taggart, 31, was killed.

In her opening statement to the 14-member jury, Bhogal’s defence lawyer Maureen Salama reminded the jury they have heard from more than 20 witnesses.

“There is one person you have yet to hear from and that is Jitesh Bhogal,” Salama told the jury.

“The law does not require Mr. Bhogal to testify in his own defence,” Salama says. “And yet, he has chosen to do so because he wants to tell you what happened that night in his own words.”

Salama told the jury Bhogal will talk about his background, family, education and employment as an engineer with General Motors.

Salama says Bhogal will confirm various aspects of the Crown’s case, including the consumption of illegal drugs and that he did park his vehicle behind Taggart’s apartment building.

“Mr. Bhogal will tell you that he had never consumed cocaine before that night,” says Salama.

“He will testify as to how he felt at that time and the impact that the substances that he had consumed that night were having on him. Both mentally and physically,” says Salama.

Salama says Bhogal will testify he remembers being inside a building and looking at a woman’s purse on the floor.

“He remembers seeing a woman. A woman that he did not know. And hearing her screaming,” says Salama. “Mr. Bhogal will tell you that he recalls putting his hand on the woman’s mouth, hoping that she would stop screaming.”

Salama says Bhogal will then testify about giving Taggart CPR, going to his uncle’s home for a shower before returning home in Michigan.

Salama says Bhogal called his parents, before “eventually travelling to Washington state” where he was in the process of moving in June 2018.

“We expect that Mr. Bhogal will deny ever sexually assaulting Miss Taggart,” Salama says. “We anticipate that he will tell you that he had no intentional of killing Miss Taggart that night.”

Salama says there is no evidence Bhogal and Taggart were known to each other before June 2018.

“The defence will also call evidence to explain the impact the ingestion of drugs could have had on Mr. Bhogal and on his ability to understand his actions that night and to interpret what was going on around him,” Salama told the jury.

Salama concluded her opening statement by saying, “ladies and gentleman, not every death is intentional. At the conclusion of our case, we will be asking you to agree that that sentiment is true in this case.”

The trial started with evidence on Oct. 18 and the jury has heard from 21 witnesses for the Crown’s case, which lawyers Ilana Mizel and Kim Bertholet concluded Monday morning.

The jury has been excused until Wednesday morning for the defence evidence to begin.