'Complete shock': Alleged GTA serial killer previously arrested in the Sault

The woman who is alleged to have killed three people in as many days in Toronto, Niagara and Hamilton — and has been dubbed a “serial killer” by investigators — has connections to Barrie and Sault Ste. Marie.

Sabrina Kauldhar, 30, was arrested last Thursday in the Burlington area by the Niagara Police Service and subsequently charged with first-degree murder in the Hamilton homicide and second-degree murder in the Toronto and Niagara investigations.

None of the allegations have been tested in court. 

Kauldhar grew up in Barrie, according to a former neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous. 

The Kauldhar family, including Sabrina Kauldhar, lived on Golden Meadow Road, she said, adding the now-accused murderer and her younger brother used to play with her and her sister, as well as other kids in the south-end neighbourhood near Hurst Drive and Big Bay Point Road. 

“She was such a kind and caring young lady. Her family was really nice. She always included others,” the former neighbour told BarrieToday.

Learning what her former neighbour and childhood acquaintance is accused of doing is a “complete shock,” she admitted.

“From what I recall, the Sabrina I know is not like what I just read,” she said. “I’m just in complete shock that she (could) have done this. Just doesn’t sound like her at all. It sure is sad to hear. It’s terrible what she (allegedly) did.”

A former friend of Kauldhar’s from a decade ago, who also requested anonymity, recalls her as being a “nice” and “driven” person.

“I was 19 when I met her and she was around 21, I believe. I met her because she lived with friends of mine and when I talked to her she was nice and sounded very smart and driven,” said the former friend. “She was in university and had plans of what she wanted to be, (which) I can’t remember now.”

When she saw the news about a woman being arrested in connection with three homicides, the woman admits she didn’t realize it was Kauldhar.

“I honestly didn’t connect her with the person she was before, because she looks so different, but a close friend reminded me of who she was. And, yes, I was shocked to see she (allegedly) killed people, but I also knew of her violent past with her housemates,” she said.

The woman also said she was aware back then that Kauldhar was struggling with some mental health challenges.

“This is insane news in general, but honestly, this is the extreme side of mental health issues that’s possible when not handled or given enough attention to,” she added. “It’s an actual risk to society when people don’t take it seriously.”

According to an obituary published on BarrieToday four years ago, Kauldhar’s mother, Karen Sagle, died Sept. 18, 2020, at the age of 54.

Sagle, along with Kauldhar’s father, Avtar Kauldhar — both local dentists who graduated from the University of Western Ontario — practised together for more than 20 years in Innisfil.

A November 2021 post on Eastview Dental’s Facebook page also noted the family lived in Sault Ste. Marie from 1992 to 1995, after which they moved to Barrie, where the couple took over a practice in Innisfil. In 2011, Avtar Kauldhar started Eastview Dental on Grove Street East in Barrie.

Several people have also commented on a Reddit thread about Kauldhar’s arrest in connection to the homicides, sharing memories about their time spent with her as a student at Innisdale Secondary School in south-end Barrie.

“I went to high school with her ... She was very quiet and was never violent. This is sooo insane,” wrote one commenter.

Another commenter claimed to be good friends with Kauldhar, writing, “I knew she wasn’t in a good place, estranged from her family and had a lot of issues, but murder? I’m mind blown. This is sad.”

According to the same poster, Kauldhar graduated from Innisdale in 2012 and attended the University of Waterloo for a year before “something went wrong.”

“I’m not sure what, but social media got deleted around that time and she became popping up with weird names and accounts, posting bizarre things and acting erratic in videos she would post, etc.,” they wrote. “I used to be friends with her in 2011/2012. I had a brief (conversation) with her around 2015 on (Facebook) or (Instagram), but I can’t seem to find it.

“She reached out to me in 2019, not as a personal message so much as I think a blast to everyone, she was looking to buy liquor,” they added. “This is a really sad story. Unfortunate (sic) she couldn’t seem to get herself turned around. I hope she gets the help she needs. She used to be so pretty and just bright (sic) a light to a room. I’m not sure what happened.”

Just after 2 p.m. on Oct. 1, Toronto police responded to a call for service in the Keele Street and Dundas Street West area. A woman’s body was discovered inside the home with visible trauma. Police have not yet released the name of the victim, but media outlets have identified her as Trinh Thi Vu.

The following day, emergency crews responded to John Allan Park in Niagara Falls shortly before 3 p.m. for a reported disturbance. When officers from the Niagara Regional Police Service arrived on scene, they found 47-year-old Lance Cunningham suffering from critical injuries. Police say he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Just before 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 3, Hamilton police received a 911 call requesting an ambulance to the parking lot of 209 MacNab St. N., where a man was found unresponsive with significant injuries consistent with a stabbing, according to a police news release. Police and paramedics responded to the scene, where they discovered 77-year-old Mario Bilich. He was taken to hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Police reportedly believe Bilich and Cunningham were randomly targeted, while Kauldhar was known to the Toronto victim.

Investigators say they have since been able to link all three incidents, and on Oct. 4 announced Kauldhar had been arrested the previous day in connection to the homicides.

The investigation is ongoing.

Investigators want to speak to anyone with information, or who may have seen Kauldhar between Oct. 1 and her arrest on Oct. 3 at 5:45 p.m. in Burlington.

“We have in excess of 100 investigators trying to understand why something like this takes place, and to gather as much evidence as possible to bring the accused to court,” Niagara Regional Police Chief Bill Fordy said at a news conference Oct. 4.

Fordy said police are not aware of the suspect’s possible motive at this time, adding the investigation is in its “very early” stages.

“When someone has alleged to have committed these types of offences, obviously you would ask the question, ‘Is everything OK? Or is there a criminal element?’” Fordy said. “I think with the passage of time we’ll have greater clarity.”

Fordy said Kauldhar previously “had an interaction with police,” but he did not specify in what capacity.

Investigators in Niagara are working with numerous other law enforcement agencies to determine if there are further alleged attacks in Ontario that could be linked to Kauldhar, Fordy said.

Media reports indicate Kauldhar’s court appearance has been adjourned until next Thursday so her mental health can be assessed.

In a story on BarrieToday’s sister site, SooToday reported a then-23-year-old Kauldhar was arrested for assault and breach of probation on April 12, 2019, after allegedly approaching a vehicle near her home and striking the passenger.

— With files from The Canadian Press