22-year-old live-in partner charged with murder
25 July, 2026 – Chandigarh : A 22-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly strangling his 23-year-old partner, an Indian woman, to death in Edmonton, Alberta, in what police are investigating as an intimate partner homicide.
The victim, identified as Punjab-origin Damanpreet Kaur, was found with serious injuries after the Edmonton Police Service responded to a home in the Silver Berry neighbourhood of southeast Edmonton at around 6:44 p.m. on July 9. Officers had received reports of an unresponsive woman with suspicious injuries at the residence near 28A Avenue and Silver Berry Road.
Emergency medical personnel treated Kaur at the scene before rushing her to hospital in critical condition. She succumbed to her injuries on July 12. A man was taken into custody shortly after officers arrived.
An autopsy conducted on July 14 confirmed Kaur’s death was a homicide. While investigators initially withheld the cause of death, police have now revealed that she died from strangulation.
On July 22, 2026, police arrested Ritish Kumar, 22, and charged him with second-degree murder in connection with the case.
The Edmonton Police Service said Kaur’s death is being investigated as an intimate partner homicide, adding that investigators are not looking for any additional suspects.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help repatriate Damanpreet Kaur’s body to India.
According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, intimate partner violence—also referred to as domestic or spousal violence—is a form of gender-based violence committed by a current or former partner. The organization says a woman is killed by her intimate partner in Canada approximately every six days.
The Tribune