BRAMPTON - Three Brampton men from the same household face first-degree murder charges in the stabbing death of a neighbour.
A man, his son and his daughter’s boyfriend were arrested less than a day after a 43-year-old man was found with stab wounds in the driveway of their home early Monday morning.
Peel Regional Police were called to 66 Skyvalley Dr., near The Gore Rd. and Cottrelle Blvd., around 12:35 a.m. for a dispute between several men.
Officers found Rupie Budhu suffering from stab wounds. He was rushed to hospital, where he died of his injuries.
“Mr. Budhu arrived by cab at the residence last night and got into an altercation with the three men and subsequently ended up being stabbed,†Const. Fiona Thivierge alleged.
Moses Torrezao, 51, his son Nicholas Persaud, 18, and his daughter’s boyfriend Kevin Mahabir, 21, are charged.
Budhu also lives on the same street, Thivierge confirmed. There were “ongoing issues†between the victim and the three accused, she alleged.
Police would not elaborate on the reason behind the deadly altercation. “But we can say that this is an ongoing thing between this group of people,†Thivierge alleged.
Area residents said an ongoing dispute over unknown issues between two homes often resulted in yelling and verbal arguments, drawing cops to the quiet suburban street several times.
The house involved in Monday’s investigation was identified by at least three residents as one of two homes involved in a dispute.
“You kind of get used to it after a while,†resident Neville Payne, 50, said. “They rarely blow (up), they argue a lot and then the cops show up.â€
Another neighbour — who only wanted to be identified as M.A. — said the dispute involved young adults from both residences, “just talking, yelling at each other.â€
Sonia Sharma, 34, says she, her three children and her husband would sometimes worry about the tension between the homes.
“I always thought there’s something the police can do,†she said.
Peel police confirmed officers have responded to neighbour disputes several times over the last few months, but would not say which residences were involved and if the disputes were connected to the stabbing.
“We can’t release at this point whether it’s relevant or not,†Const. Lilly Fitzpatrick said, adding there is “no indication that this is a gang-related homicide.â€
One 58-year-old man — who would not identify himself — with a group of people gathered outside a home two doors from the crime scene said Budhu was his friend for the past four years.
“He’s a good mechanic, he’s a good guy, always working,†the man said, adding the victim was “not a guy that causes trouble.â€
The accused are expected to appear in Brampton court Tuesday morning for a bail hearing.
Witnesses can contact Peel Police at 905-453-3311 ext. 3205, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
