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'I had accidentally killed her': Accused man testifies during emotional testimony at Windsor murder trial

Autumn Taggart
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Windsor, Ont. -

Warning: article contains disturbing details.

Jitesh Bhogal, 31, took the stand Thursday in his own defence, against a single charge of first degree murder in the death of Autumn Taggart.

The 31-year-old mother was killed in her University Avenue apartment on June 10, 2018.

Thursday, in Superior court, Bhogal took the stand as the first witness called by defence lawyers as they present their case.

Bhogal told the jury he was born in India but immigrated to Canada in 2001, first settling in the Greater Toronto Area.

His parents moved to Seattle but encouraged him to go to the University of Michigan to pursue an MBA in 2015.

While in school, Bhogal says he was working for General Motors in Detroit as an engineer.

In 2018 Bhogal says he was planning to move to Seattle to be closer to his family, and to pursue a new job out there.

The lease on his Michigan apartment was expiring in June 2018.

On June 9, 2018, Bhogal testified he went out “for drinks” with some friends to bars in downtown Detroit.

When the evening was winding down, Bhogal testified, “I remember having an impulse to visit a strip club.”

Bhogal says he had planned to sleep overnight at his uncle’s home in south Windsor because “my house was inhospitable” as he was nearly finished packing to move.

Bhogal told the jury he googled strip clubs in Windsor, and arrived in downtown Windsor after 2 a.m. when a man approached asking for change.

That man, court heard in previous testimony was Jake Thompson.

Bhogal says he rejected Thompson’s request for spare change, but took him up on an offer to purchase drugs, specifically cocaine.

“I guess I just wanted to see what the hype was about,” Bhogal told the jury after saying he was apprehensive about using illegal narcotics.

Bhogal says Thompson directed him to an apartment in the city, where Thompson gave him a powdered substance, which he says “burned” his nostrils.

In his testimony, Thompson told the court that powdered substance was in fact old flour.

Bhogal says he had a “modicum of trust” in the man but was also uneasy in his surroundings because he didn’t know exactly where he was.

He told the jury, Thompson called his friend Michelle Altiman to come to the University Ave. apartment, and together they first went and got money and then proceeded to a west-end restaurant to purchase more cocaine.

Bhogal stated he gave Altiman his company issued cellphone for her to call her drug dealer.

Bhogal testified Altiman brought him a small quantity of drugs which he consumed off the console of his vehicle, “It numbed my nose, as opposed to the initial burning sensation,” he said.

Altiman went and spent more money and purchased even more drugs.

Bhogal told the jury he learned the street language for drugs and quantities from watching television shows.

Bhogal says Altiman forced him to drive back to University Ave. because she didn’t want to walk.

And he says she was the one who told him to park behind Autumn Taggart’s building.

Bhogal says Altiman and Thompson then did more cocaine off the console of this vehicle.

“I proceeded to consume what remained. When I finished, I looked up and they (Thompson and Altiman) had left,” Bhogal testified. “It felt personal. I felt rejected.”

Bhogal says he was “slightly upset,” got out of his car and starting yelling for the pair to come back.

At this point in his evidence, Bhogal appeared to be getting emotional on the stand.

He says he doesn’t have clear memory of what happened next, telling the jury he remembers being inside but didn’t know where he was or how he got there.

“It seemed like I climbed the balcony,” he said. “I don’t remember.”

Bhogal says he remembers seeing a purse on the floor and a woman’s face.

“I’ve never seen somebody look at me in such horror or fear,” he testified. “I don’t think I realized, I was the source of that fear.”

Bhogal says the woman was screaming and he just wanted her to be quiet so he could leave.

“During the struggle I remember using my hands to try to get her to stop screaming,” Bhogal testified. “And then the screaming stops. I didn’t know why until I saw the injuries I had caused.”

Bhogal openly sobbed during this portion of his evidence.

“I came to the conclusion that I had accidentally killed her. That’s not okay. There had to be something I could do,” Bhogal testified.

He told the jury he knew what he had done was wrong, and so he tried to save her by performing CPR on Taggart, while she was laying on the floor of her bedroom.

Bhogal says did chest compressions, pinched her nose and put his mouth on hers to breath air into Taggart’s lungs.

When he realized he couldn’t save her, he says he picked her lifeless body up and placed her on the bed.

“It would be indecent to leave somebody to be found on the floor,” Bhogal told the jury.

Bhogal doesn’t remember talking to Taggart’s nine-year-old son that night, nor does he recall leaving the apartment or driving to his uncle’s home in south Windsor.

“I remember the stress. I remember the fear. I remember the weight of the world crashing down on me and not knowing what to do,” Bhogal testified.

He told the jury he wanted to call his parents, but from his apartment in Michigan, so he returned to the United States around 7 a.m.

Bhogal says his parents were confused about what he was saying, so they asked him to come to them in Seattle.

He told the jury he spent that day packing his apartment and loading his SUV.

Bhogal started to drive to Seattle on the evening of June 10.

“There was conflict. I had a sense of self-preservation,” Bhogal testified. “Fear of going to prison.”

Bhogal says over that long journey to Seattle he had a lot of time to think about what happened and his actions.

He says he spent “many nights” staring at the CrimeStoppers website, where he wrote out what he did.

Bhogal says ultimately he never hit send.

“I didn’t have the courage to come forward,” Bhogal confessed. “So I waited for it to come to me.”

Assistant crown attorney Ilana Mizel will be cross examining Bhogal Thursday afternoon.

Assistant crown attorney Ilana Mizel started her cross examination with a pointed question.

“Mr. Bhogal, you would agree you caused the death of Autumn Taggart,” to which he responded, “yes.”

Bhogal also admitted that he “gained entry” into Taggart’s apartment, although he doesn’t remember how.

Although admitting he didn’t keep track of how many drinks he consumed in Detroit, Bhogal says he was sober enough to drive and to make the decision to go to Windsor to look for a strip club.

Bhogal said it would be “foolish” for him to drink and drive, to which Mizel asked, “then why is it sir, less than two hours later you were snorting cocaine (while sitting) in the driver’s seat?”

The Crown alleges Bhogal came to Windsor because he “wanted a girl,” an assertion Bhogal “vehemently” denies, saying he was dating someone at the time and could have received affection from that woman.

Bhogal never did go into the Windsor strip club.

Mizel also accused Bhogal of sexually assaulting Autumn Taggart, which he denies.

“I have a gross amount of overwhelming sadness, horror and grief,” Bhogal testified. “There’s’ no room for what you are suggesting.”

The Crown also disputes Bhogal’s testimony that June 10, 2018 was the first time he had ever used cocaine, because he knew the street language for drugs, how to consume them, how much it would cost, and he purchased a large amount of cocaine.

“There is no way this was your first experience with cocaine,” Mizel challenged Bhogal. “Only an experienced cocaine user would have to test the quality of the cocaine.”

Mizel argued if Bhogal simply wanted to experiment with cocaine, he should have left after getting a first “hit” from Jake Thompson.

Bhogal admitted “it should have been” the end of his evening, but he then asked Thompson to get him more cocaine.

Thompson has already testified the first thing he gave Bhogal was in fact old flour, and not cocaine.

Mizel believes Bhogal knew it, and he became angry when he learned Thompson had ripped him off.

“You had everything sir,” Mizel opined. “And you’d agree you had everything to lose.”

A portion of Thursday afternoon was spent in legal argument, in the absence of the jury.

Mizel’s cross-examination of Jitesh Bhogal will continue Friday.

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