Toronto man arrested 25 years after fatal stabbing of father-of-two

TORONTO – A 61-year-old man has been arrested in connection to a fatal stabbing of a Toronto gas station attendant 25 years ago.

Police said the accused allegedly attempted to rob the victim during the early morning hours of Nov. 19, 1990 when the father-of-two was stabbed to death in the men’s washroom of a building on the Penny Gas Bar lot at 1039 Danforth Road.

Detective Sergeant Stacy Gallant said 38-year-old Surinder Singh Parmar was stabbed multiple times following a violent struggle.

“The body was discovered by a customer,” said Gallant during a press conference Tuesday morning. “The washroom was located 30 metres away from the kiosk where people would pay for cash.”

Police said Parmar was visiting from India at the time of his death and that his wife and two children were still overseas.

“Parmar left a widow, 12-year-old daughter and six-year-old son at the time,” said Gallant. “His wife and children had to travel to Canada for the funeral.”

Police said a cold case review of the forensic evidence in August led police to the arrest of Rupert Richards on Monday. The accused now faces a charge of first degree murder.

“Certain investigative steps were taken on evidence collected during the initial investigation,” said Gallant.

Police said the accused was known to police at the time of the fatal stabbing, including having a record for a domestic abuse offence.

“When we showed up, I think he was quite surprised to see us,” Gallant said.

Police said the victim’s family was notified of the potential arrest two weeks ago.

“They expressed their gratitude,” said Gallant. “The family requested privacy and do not wish to speak to the media.”

Police said they review historic crimes on an ongoing basis with the help of new forensic technology and all efforts are made to reexamine unsolved cases.

The accused appeared in court on Monday.