Stoney Creek man faces 2nd-degree murder charge in death of his father
Murder victim John Harpula was a Hamilton Spectator employee; it is city’s 10th homicide of 2017
and father has been identified by Hamilton police as the man allegedly stabbed to death by his son on Stoney Creek Mountain.
Janusz (John) Harpula, 60, was found by police Wednesday in the doorway of his 134 Highland Rd. W. home — where holiday icicle lights could be seen hanging — suffering from multiple stab wounds. He had worked at The Hamilton Spectator since 2013.
His son, 29-year-old Thomas Harpula, has been charged with seconddegree murder.
Police said they responded just after noon to reports of “family trouble” at the home, located near Aubrey Avenue.
John Harpula was transported to the Hamilton General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 12:30 p.m.
A search warrant has been executed at the family home and an autopsy has been scheduled for Friday, police said.
On Thursday morning, Thomas Harpula made his first court appearance, wearing blue coveralls. His hands were bandaged.
He spoke out in court several times despite being cautioned against it by the justice of the peace, the Crown attorney and defence counsel.
At least a dozen family members appeared anguished as they attended Thomas’ court appearance.
Some wept in the body of the court, while others shouted out, yelling “We love you, Tom.”
Harpula’s case was put over to Jan. 17, when he is expected to appear in court by video.
Acting Det. Sgt. Andrea Richard said Thomas Harpula was not known to police.
She said she can’t speak to motive at this time as homicide detectives continue to investigate.
“It is important to protect the integrity of the investigation,” she wrote in an email.
The elder Harpula was an electrician who had worked at the newspaper for the last four years.
In a short profile printed in the paper last year, Harpula said he was a world traveller, an avid outdoorsman and a closet chef who was fluent in four languages.
He said he worked with a small team, keeping the production equipment running at the Spectator building on Frid Street.
“I’m always busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he wrote. “I like the work I do, and enjoy the people I work with.”
George Tedesco was one of Harpula’s supervisors at the Spectator. He said John was a “nice guy” who “never had a bad word to say about anybody.”
“He was just a really good, down-toearth kind of guy,” he said, noting he was a good employee who was always on time.
John loved food, drink, travelling, “good times,” and most of all, his family, Tedesco said, noting he also leaves behind his wife and daughter.
While conversation mostly focused on work, the colleagues would often catch up about their weekend plans, he said.
“He talked about going fishing with his son all the time,” Tedesco said. “That was one of the things he liked to do.”
“I can’t picture him having a mean bone in his body and for his son to turn on him like that …” he added.
Tedesco, a mechanical maintenance supervisor, said it won’t be the same when he returns to work after the holidays and John doesn’t cut through the shop to get to the change room as he normally would before starting his afternoon shift.
“He’s a colleague. You spend a lot of hours every day, every week, with the same people,” he said. “To have something like this happen … it doesn’t sink in.”
“We’re never going to have that conversation about barbecues, we’re not going to exchange those recipes anymore, we’re not going to be able to talk about going fishing anymore,” he added.
A next-door neighbour said Wednesday she believed two men who lived at the house were father and son.
A next-door neighbour, who identified herself as Cindy but declined to give her last name, said Wednesday she saw an older man taken out of the house on a stretcher. She said CPR was performed on him.
“There was blood everywhere,” she said.
She said a younger man was arrested in the driveway of the home.
What appeared to be blood spatter at the end of the driveway came from the younger man, whose hands paramedics bandaged on scene, she said. Cindy said the family had lived in the home for close to 20 years.
Police have said they are not looking for any additional suspects and there are no concerns for public safety.
According to Facebook, Thomas Harpula studied commerce at McMaster University and went to Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School.
His hobbies listed include “innovating, snowboarding, learning, and improving the world.”
A dissolved company called Harpula Industries Corporation lists both Thomas Harpula and Janusz Harpula as its directors, according to information available through Corporations Canada. Both men and the business listed 134 Highland Rd. W. as their addresses.
The death is Hamilton’s 10th homicide of 2017. Police are asking anyone with information to contact Det. Andrew Coughlan at 905-546-3874 or Crime Stoppers at 1800-222-8477.