Murder victim feared husband after filing for divorce: court docs

WARNING: This story contains details of domestic abuse.

Three months before her death, Kamaljit Sandhu filed for divorce after enduring years of domestic violence.

Her husband — Inderjit Singh Sandhu — was in India at the time.

Kamaljit Sandhu, who lived in Abbotsford, a city about 70 kilometres east of Vancouver in B.C.'s Fraser Valley, got a protection order. In an affidavit, she claimed she was afraid the 50-year-old "would harm her when he became aware of the court proceedings."

It wasn't long before those fears would prove prophetic.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge sentenced Inderjit Singh Sandhu to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 13 years for second-degree murder earlier this month after he pleaded guilty to killing his wife.

Justice Dev Dley's reasons were only released this week, highlighting both the bigger issue of domestic violence and one woman's failed struggle to escape her abuser.

"It is apparent that the death has caused immense hurt, distress, and a painful loss to friends and family," Dley said.

"The children are left without a mother with whom they had a loving and enduring bond ... The children do not wish to have any contact with their father. This family is forever shattered, all because of Mr. Sandhu's selfish and senseless violence."

'She had fallen down the stairs'

Kamajit Sandhu's murder on July 28, 2022, sent shock waves through the city of Abbotsford as well as the branch of the Royal Bank of Canada where she worked.

According to the judgment, Sandhu had requested time off to consult with a lawyer in the months before she was killed, advising her manager she was considering separating from her husband.

The couple met in India and married in 1999; one year later, Kamaljit Sandhu sponsored Inderjit Singh Sandhu's immigration to Canada, where the couple raised two children, aged 23 and 18.

"During the marriage, there had been concerns of domestic violence," Dley wrote.

In 2006, police responded to complaints of yelling and screaming at the couple's home, noting injuries to Kamaljit Sandhu's face when they arrived.

"She said that she had hit her head on the wall or television," Dley said. "No charges were laid."

A year later, police were called to the home again.

"She said that she had fallen down the stairs, but their five-year-old son explained that Mr. Sandhu had struck Ms. Sandhu," Dley said.

Sandhu was arrested for assault — a charge that was settled through a peace bond.

He would 'deal with her when he's back'

The truth didn't emerge until April 2022 with the initiation of divorce proceedings and Kamaljit Sandhu's sworn affidavit. She claimed she had been subjected to verbal, physical and emotional abuse since 2001.

She also said her husband had called her days before she started the legal process to say "he would 'deal with her when he's back,' which caused her to fear for her safety."

When he returned from India, Inderjit Singh Sandhu moved into a basement suite with his parents. Kamaljit Sandhu was granted a protection order, but by June 2022, the couple had resumed communications.

On July 28, they spoke by phone.

After the call, Inderjit Singh Sandhu went to a hardware store and bought a hatchet and a screwdriver. Evidence would later show he had accessed webpages for machetes in the days prior.

Kamaljit Sandhu slipped out of work and drove over to the basement suite. Her husband's mother begged her to take him back. The couple spoke for five minutes, but Dley said Kamaljit Sandhu said she needed to return to the bank.

"As Ms. Sandhu left the basement suite, Mr. Sandhu retrieved the hatchet from the bathroom and, from behind, struck Ms. Sandhu multiple times," the judge wrote.

"Mr. Sandhu's mother was able to take the hatchet away from him, whereupon he began strangling Ms. Sandhu."

Kamaljit Sandhu was pronounced dead at the scene. She was 45 years old.

'I wanted to go and wake up those girls'

A month after Kamaljit Sandhu's death, Santosh Powar organized a candlelight vigil to honour the victim and to raise awareness of domestic violence.

About 100 people showed up, including Abbotsford city councillors and friends, family and co-workers of the victim. Powar says she wanted to raise awareness about domestic violence — and to send a message to other women.

"I wanted to go and wake up those girls," she told the CBC. "They don't have to go back to the same man again and again ... If he did it once, twice, three times — he's not going to stop."

A GoFundMe campaign for Kamaljit Sandhu's children started by a co-worker has raised more than $24,000.

"She led with care and empathy with all of our clients and patiently worked with the staff, helping to teach and mentor individuals," the organizer wrote.

"She was funny, sweet, and went out of her way to make you feel good about yourself and what was going on in your world. Her passing is a tragedy."

According to the judgment, Inderjit Singh Sandhu told police "he regretted killing his wife and did not know why he killed her." He said he was "a little bit upset" she would not stay to speak with him longer.

Dley said the killer appears to have "little insight" into his behaviour, noting that "it is still not apparent that he understands the level of his moral culpability for the killing of his wife.

"Mr. Sandhu will have a difficult and lonely journey ahead. His parents have returned to India, his friends and co-workers have shunned him, and his children want no part of him," the judge concluded.

"It is of his own doing, and he must bear the consequences."

For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.