Chilling allegations in rape, murder case
WINDSOR, ONT. • The nine-year-old son of a Windsor, Ont., woman who was raped and killed in her own bed was confronted in their apartment on the night of the crime by the possible murderer, say U.S. court documents.
According to chilling details revealed in extradition documents for Jitesh “Jay” Bhogal — who is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated sexual assault and break and enter — the boy told Windsor police that a tall, dark-haired, bearded man he had never seen before entered his bedroom.
The documents contain allegations against Bhogal that have not been proven in court.
The stranger told the boy to stay in bed and go to sleep, then went elsewhere in the apartment, the documents say. The boy later heard a woman screaming. He was too scared to get out of bed to investigate, say the documents.
The next morning, the boy awoke to see his mother was still in bed, so he spent the day eating cookies and watching videos.
When an alarm on his mother’s phone alerted him it was time for his evening shower, he couldn’t rouse her. He used the phone to text his father that “mommy won’t wake up.”
The father drove to the apartment, found his son and the body, and called police. The court documents say that the victim had a close relationship with the boy’s father — her ex-boyfriend. They spent the evening before her death shopping with their child, and exchanged text messages late into the night.
The documents only identify the boy and his mother by their initials, but according to Windsor police press releases Bhogal’s charges relate to the death of Autumn Taggart, 31, whose body was found in her apartment the evening of June 10.
As of Tuesday, Bhogal remained in the hands of U.S. federal authorities in Washington state.
According to the U.S. court documents, Bhogal is a 28-year-old Canadian citizen who worked in the Detroit area. He was arrested at his parent’s home in Kent, Wash., on Aug. 17.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle said Bhogal is scheduled for a detention and status hearing on Friday.
Bhogal has a NEXUS card and travelled almost daily between Windsor and his workplace in Warren, Mich. — but he has not been back to Canada since he crossed the border on June 10, according to the court documents.
An autopsy showed the victim, referred to as “AT,” was badly beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled, the documents say.
Investigators allege a man, whom they believe was Bhogal, visited the building to buy cocaine in a unit that neighbours the victim’s apartment.
Windsor police were initially put onto Bhogal’s trail by cellphone records — calls allegedly made to arrange the drug transaction.
U.S. police, at the request of Windsor police, tracked Bhogal and covertly obtained a DNA sample by retrieving a glass he had used to drink at a brewery in Warren, Mich. The sample matched DNA evidence swabbed from the victim, the court documents allege.