Jitesh Bhogal found guilty of first-degree murder of Windsor woman
Jitesh Bhogal has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Windsor woman Autumn Taggart.
Taggart, 31, was killed on June 10, 2018 in the bedroom of her University Avenue apartment building.
The 12-member jury reached the verdict on Wednesday morning. Deliberations started Monday evening at 5 p.m.
Justice Renee Pomerance said to the jury “you have discharged your duties with distinction.” As she dismissed them she added “I offer you my sincere thanks.”
The Taggart family exited the courthouse with their hands on the air, declaring “a victory”.Relief for the family of Autumn Taggart moments after Jitesh Bhogal was found guilty of first degree murder in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. (Michelle Maluske/CTV Windsor)
“Can’t say we weren’t nervous. It’s definitely the right Verdict. Autumn deserved this. (Her son) deserved this,” said John Taggart, Autumn’s father. “Justice, that’s what we wanted. That’s what we got.”
The family members hugged each other and showed visible signs of relief.
“We’d still like to see the laws in Canada change for, life changes to actual life. Not 25 years and then parole. We’d like life, to mean life, for all victims,” said John Taggart.
A pathologist testified Taggart died from neck compression and suffocation.
At trial, Bhogal, 31, admitted on the stand he put his hands over Taggart’s nose and mouth to get her to “stop screaming”.Jitesh Bhogal on surveillance video. (Handout / CTV Windsor)
The family members will now decide whether or not they want to write a victim impact statement, needed for the sentencing hearing on Jan. 5, 2022.
"I feel that justice is served for Autumn, my beautiful daughter," Tammy Spratt, Taggart's biological mother tells CTV News.
"Aside from her death, it was the most difficult seven weeks of my entire life, hearing the details (in court) of what happened to her, from head to toe. I don't even have a word. It was awful. It was excruciating. Agonizing."
Spratt describes Taggart as witty and intelligent woman.
"She was so smart. A great mother. She loved to laugh and she loved life and I miss her."
Spratt wishes to thank the jury, the police and Crown Attorneys for their "hard work and dedication."
“There’s no words to express, what any of us were feeling. She’s still gone. She’s not coming back,” said Jolayne Lausch, Taggart’s step-mother.
Crown Attorneys Ilana Mizel and Kim Bertholet declined to comment until after Bhogal is sentenced in 2022.
Defence lawyers Peter Thorning and Maureen Salama met with Bhogal following the verdict.Defence declined to comment to CTV News.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.