Man charged with 2nd-degree murder in death of London taxi driver appears in court

The man charged in the death of a London cab driver appeared briefly in court on Wednesday.

Cody Perkin, 23, of London was charged with second-degree murder after Vijay Bhatia, 64, was found without vital signs in a convenience store parking lot at around 1 a.m. on April 29, 2017.

According to London police, Bhatia picked up two passengers and was assaulted by one of them after driving them to the Mac’s Milk store at 925 Wonderland Rd. S.

Police found both individuals and later released one without charges.

READ MORE: London taxi industry mourns beating death of 64-year-old Vijay Bhatia

Sometime after Perkin was arrested, he was admitted to hospital. He made a court appearance earlier this month over the phone from hospital, and his lawyer, James Zegers, said Perkin needs to have surgery to repair a valve in his heart.

Perkin was ordered not to speak with 14 individuals, including his mother. While Zegers argued that was inhumane given Perkin could die during surgery for his condition, the non-association order was upheld during Wednesday’s court appearance.

Perkin is no longer in hospital, and appeared in court via video from the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre.

It’s unclear when his heart surgery may be scheduled.

Perkin was remanded into custody until June 13 for further disclosure.