Alleged serial killer previously pleaded guilty to 2018 attack on Waterloo, Ont. bus

The woman accused of killing three people in three days in three Ontario cities also previously admitted to attacking strangers on buses in the Region of Waterloo.

Sabrina Kauldhar, who was arrested in October, has been charged in the deaths of Trinh Thi Vu of Toronto, Lance Cunningham of Niagara Falls and Mario Bilich of Hamilton. While investigators believe Kauldhar knew her first victim, the other two are thought to be random attacks.

Joshua Duma’s story

In May 2018, Kauldhar pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and uttering a death threat in relation to a series of incidents in Kitchener and Waterloo that the judge described as “bizarre behaviour.” She was 23-years-old at the time.

Joshua Duma was one of those victims.

“I was assaulted, threatened and eventually attacked by her,” he told CTV News on Tuesday.

Duma was riding the Erb Street West bus in April 2018, on his way home from work, when a stranger approached him.

Duma said Kauldhar flipped the phone out of his hand and threatened to kill him, then went back to her seat.

“Things escalated and she started assaulting other passengers.”

Kauldhar then poured a drink she had with her onto another passenger. When a second passenger spoke up about it, she was assaulted.

“I tried to intervene and then I was assaulted,” Duma explained.

He said Kauldhar punched him.

The bus stop where Sabrina Kauldhar assaulted Joshua Duma and other passengers. (Krista Simpson/CTV News)

When she eventually got off the bus, passengers called police.

Court later heard that Kauldhar was arrested by police who identified her based on the distinctive triangle tattoo between her eyebrows.

Kauldhar had also been involved in another incident on the same day she attacked Duma.

According to the facts read in court, which Kauldhar did not dispute, in that case, Kauldhar was travelling on a Grand River Transit bus heading northbound on King Street West.

When the bus stopped in front of Grand River Hospital, Kauldhar stole an iPhone 7 from another passenger who was riding the bus with friends. Kauldhar then got off the bus. The group of friends also got off the bus and began following Kauldhar. Court heard that a friend of the person who had the phone stolen reached out to touch Kauldhar’s arm and asked if they could talk.

Kauldhar told the woman not to touch her again or “I’ll f------ murder you.”

She then left on foot.

The cell phone was later found a trash can.

Joshua Duma on Nov. 12, 2024. (Krista Simpson/CTV News)

Court heard that, at the time of the incident, Kauldhar was already on probation for assault-related incidents that happened in the Orillia area.

The duty counsel representing Kauldhar in Region of Waterloo noted that while the incidents involved “violent actions towards strangers,” Kauldhar also pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, and was a youthful person with a limited record. The duty counsel also stated that Kauldhar was living in a Toronto shelter at the time and did not acknowledge any drug or mental health issues.

The Crown ultimately recommended a sentence of 15 days, less pre-sentence custody, followed by probation.

Justice John Lynch said he was “somewhat surprised at this generosity” and would accede to the recommendation, but told Kauldhar while delivering the sentence: “I don’t know what’s going on here but it seems bizarre behaviour and it is behaviour that’s going to get you in custody for a lot more than 15 days.”

Duma agreed with the judge’s assessment that what happened could be characterized as bizarre.

“Generally, it was really unexpected,” he told CTV News. “You know, on the bus you meet all sorts of types of people, but you don't really expect for anything really to happen until it does.”

Kauldhar’s new charges

In relation to the three October deaths, Kauldhar currently faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. The cases remain before the courts and nothing has been proven at this time.

A Toronto judge recently ordered Kauldhar to undergo a mental health assessment, to see if she’s fit to stand trial. Kauldhar’s counsel opposed that order at her direction.

Sabrina Kauldhar, 30, is shown in these handout photos. Kauldhar is facing charges in connection with three GTA homicides. (Hamilton Police Service)

Duma’s reaction

Duma said his encounter with Kauldhar didn’t seem like a big deal more than six years ago. Now, he has a different opinion.

“I think that I am actually pretty lucky that it's just an assault,” he said.

In an unusual twist, Duma said he encountered Kauldhar again about a year and a half after that incident on the bus.

He was leaving work when a person he believes was Kauldhar tried to launch a shopping cart into his car.

She didn’t actually hit his vehicle, so he didn’t report the incident to police, though Duma said he did mention it to his manager.