UPDATE: Woman charged with 3 murders in a week in southern Ontario

A Hamilton woman has been arrested in connection to three murders in her home city, Niagara Falls and Toronto. According to police, the accused is a suspect in three homicides, all of which were reported in the past few days.

Police say officers were called to a home in the Keele Street and Dundas Street West area in Toronto around 2 p.m. on Oct. 1.  Once inside the home, the officers found a woman in her 60s dead with visible trauma. Police did not describe the nature of her injuries. She has also not been identified.

Just 24 hours later, Niagara Police responded to a disturbance call in Niagara Falls’ John Allan Park, a park that sits in the south of town about an hour and a half drive from the first scene.

On arrival, officers found Lance Cunninghan, 47, suffering from critical injuries. First responders attempted life-saving efforts, but declared Cunningham dead at the scene.

Finally, around noon on Oct. 3, Hamilton Police were called to an apartment building at 209 McNab Street. They found Mario Bilich, 77, suffering stab wounds. Paramedics rushed Bilich to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators linked the murders in Hamilton and Niagara Falls due to a matching suspect description, which they then connected to the Toronto case.

Niagara Police later arrested Sabrina Kauldhar, 30, in Burlington.

Police say the accused has been charged with first-degree murder in the Hamilton homicide and second-degree murder in the Toronto and Niagara investigations. Investigators believe Bilich and Cunningham were randomly targeted, while the Toronto victim was known to the suspect.

Police are asking anyone with any information or who might have seen the accused between Oct. 1 and her arrest on Oct. 3 at 5:45 p.m. in Burlington to come forward.

Detectives are also attempting to identify a female who was observed on CCTV footage on Oct. 1 at the Giant Tiger located at 2025 Guelph Line in Burlington, buying clothing that Kauldhar had in her possession at the time of her arrest.

Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives via the dedicated hotline at (289) 248-1058.

Update: In a later press conference Niagara Police Chief Bill Fordy said he, Hamilton Chief Frank Bergen, Halton Chief Stephen Tanner and Toronto Deputy Chief Robert Johnson have been collaborating directly on the investigation.

Fordy confirmed that investigators had yet to identify the Toronto victim. He refused to speculate on what Kauldhar would have done if she had not been arrested. However, Fordy noted that committing three violent offences so closely indicates a risk Kauldhar could have continued.

Additionally, Fordy said “Mario and Lance were going about their business and we believe they were random attacks. We are not aware of any connection between the victims and we are not aware of any motive.”

“I think by definition she is a serial killer. Two or more murders, so by definition, I think that’s a fair comment,” he added. The FBI generally defines a serial killer as someone who kills three or more people with a cooling-off period in between. Multiple murders committed in quick succession are more often considered spree killings.

Hamilton Detective Sergeant Sara Beck described Bilich as a well-known member of the community with lots of family in the area. He was a retired teacher with the Hamilton Wentworth School Board. The family has been “highly engaged” in the investigation, Beck confirmed.

Right before the attack, Beck said, Bilich was at a social club “meeting with his regular friends he meets with on a regular basis,” Beck said. Video shows Kauldhar following Bilich to the area near his car and then leaving that area a short time later.