(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Sheldon Spackman

sentencing friday

Sylvan Lake man pleads guilty to manslaughter for wife’s death

Feb 23, 2021 | 5:16 PM

A Sylvan Lake man charged in the death of his wife in 2019 will learn later this week how much longer he will stay behind bars.

Satnam Singh Sandhu, 43, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench on Tuesday, and will be sentenced this Friday, Feb. 26.

Originally charged with second degree murder in the September, 2019 death of 36-year-old Kulvinder Sandhu, his charge was later lowered to manslaughter following a preliminary hearing last September.

According to an Agreed Statement of Facts, it was on Sept. 11, 2019 when Sandhu and his wife got into an argument about money which escalated to the point where they both had their hands wrapped around the other’s neck and were choking each other.

During the struggle, Sandhu pushed his wife to the floor but she hit her head on a heater while falling and was found unresponsive after hitting the ground.

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Sandhu called 911 following the incident and tried to resuscitate his wife before paramedics arrived. However, she was taken to Red Deer Regional Hospital where she was ultimately put on life support.

On Sept. 13, 2019, doctors determined Kulvinder was brain dead, so took her off life support. She died the next day.

According to the autopsy report, Kulvinder’s official cause of death was from injuries consistent with strangulation, causing hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy brain death – brain damage caused when the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen.

Victim Impact Statements from Sandhu’s now 15-year-old son and father-in-law were also read to the court on Tuesday.

Crown prosecutor Bruce Ritter is seeking a sentence in the range of seven to 12 years, while defense lawyer Dan Murphy is asking for a sentence of four years, less time already served.

When given the chance to speak on Tuesday, Sandhu declined through a Punjabi interpreter.