The person who was stabbed to death Sunday in a rental house on Queen Street in Sarnia is Gurasis Singh, a 22-year-old international student from India who was studying at Lambton College, multiple sources say.
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Singh was in his first year studying business management, the Sarnia-based college confirmed in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, two days after he was found stabbed to death in a home with multiple tenants at 194 Queen St.
“Students are at the heart of Lambton College, and the loss of a student is a tragedy of the highest magnitude. We extend our deepest condolences to Gurasis’s family, loved ones, and friends,” the statement says.
College officials added support is being provided to students and staff through various counseling and assistance programs.
“We thank our Sarnia-Lambton community for its support at this difficult time, and we ask for the privacy of the student’s family, loved ones, and friends to be respected,” they said.
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News of Singh’s death, one that landed a 36-year-old Sarnia man in jail on a charge of second-degree murder, has sparked an outpouring of grievance, anger, and demands for change online. Some have pointed to key changes needed for housing and safety for international students in Canada while others have pointed to racism and drug and crime issues in Sarnia. Kawalpreet Singh Mann, a fellow international Lambton College student, wrote a post Tuesday he called, “Justice for Gurasis Singh: Share His Story, Demand Change.”
“Gurasis came to Canada full of dreams and aspirations, just like so many of us who leave behind our families and homes to build a better future,” he wrote on Facebook. “This devastating incident has left an irreplaceable void in his family’s life, who are now left grieving thousands of miles away.”
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He urged everyone to share Singh’s story and to call for changes in how international students are treated and their safety while studying in Canada.
“Let his name and his tragic story spark the change we desperately need. Together, we can ensure that no other student’s life ends this way,” he wrote. “Rest in peace, Gurasis. You deserved so much more.”
Madhu Baker, a Sarnia realtor, wrote about feeling angry, sad and disheartened.
“I am deeply disturbed and concerned as to what’s happening in our city,” a post said.
An online fundraiser has been launched for Singh. The GoFundMe page says they are raising funds to help their Sikh brother’s family get his body to complete rituals in Punjab.
“This cannot fill the pain his family is facing but still makes it possible to (do) the final rituals. We all pray that his soul rests in peace and God provides the strength to his family to deal with this loss,” the page says.
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A man who cleaned the Queen Street house at the center of a Sarnia police homicide investigation said he recently rented rooms to the deceased and the accused, Crossley Hunter. He recalled Singh was quiet and kept to himself.
Hunter briefly appeared in court Tuesday by video link from the Sarnia Jail. His case was adjourned to Friday.
Sarnia police said they responded to a 911 call Sunday around 5 am to find a male resident dead after being stabbed with a knife multiple times. The stabbing happened during an altercation in the kitchen, but they didn’t identify who died.
Several neighbors on Queen Street said they didn’t see or hear anything going on inside the house until police converged on the area Sunday morning. Some expressed concerns for how a woman who lives in the upper floor with her three children was handcuffed by police and left out in the cold for an hour during the early stages of the probe.
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Court records say Hunter lives in Muskoka. Hunter and his family’s boat-building business were featured twice in the Bracebridge Examiner, once in 2016 and again in 2018 after it had to be rebuilt following a fire. It’s unclear what brought Hunter to Sarnia, but the 2018 story says he headed west for work after the fire.
This is the second homicide investigation in Sarnia this year and also the second on Queen Street. Police charged Adam Bishop, 40, in February with first-degree murder and committing an indignity to a body.
Several neighbors have expressed concerns with drug use and violence in the area. Queen Street is also close to the controversial Rainbow Park homeless camp.
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