Verdict delivered in manslaughter trial of ping pong game turned deadly
The jury reached a decision just hours after starting deliberations in the trial of a man charged with manslaughter and assault after his uncle died following a ping pong game that turned violent.
The jury of seven women and five men found Anmol Saggu, 30, not guilty on both charges Thursday afternoon.
After the verdict was delivered, Saggu walked out of the Orangeville courthouse beside his lawyer, Peter Brauti.
"I'm just feeling thankful to the jury and thankful to Mr. Brauti. Still feeling sad for my uncle that he's not with us right now. I'm glad that everything is over," Saggu told CTV News.
During the two-week trial, the court heard a fight broke out in the early morning hours in November 2019 at a house in Mono, and shortly afterward, Taranjit Singh Osahan was dead.
Police arrested Saggu after learning he pushed his uncle during the fight, who minutes later collapsed and never regained consciousness.
Saggu testified his uncle got in his face, so he put his hands on his chest to make space between them. His cousin, he told the court, then punched him repeatedly in the face for laying his hands on the 50-year-old man.
The Crown suggested Saggu initiated the fight and that he was angry, frustrated and aggressive.
Meanwhile, a forensic expert who performed an autopsy on Taranjit told the court the deceased was at risk of "sudden death at any time" due to a severe long-standing heart problem.
Dr. Ashwyn Rajagopalan said several factors could have contributed to Taranjit's cardiac arrhythmia.
"This could have happened with minimal physical activity," he testified. "This could have happened in his sleep."
"Justice was done," said the defence lawyer. "Make no mistake, nobody is celebrating. My client lost his uncle. It's tragic, and he's just happy that he can move on."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
Pilot proposes to flight attendant girlfriend in front of passengers
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.