Manmeet Singh looked confident and unfazed as he was ushered into the glass prisoner's box in Surrey Provincial Court Friday morning, his arms crossed as he made his second court appearance since the death of his wife last week.
Wearing orange prison garb, the dark-haired 26-year-old glanced around the courtroom briefly before speaking to legal counsel through a space in the glass and being led back into custody.
From the gallery, a dozen friends of Ravinder Bhangu watched him come and go, their faces sullen, still grief-stricken about Bhangu's gruesome daytime murder a week ago.
Outside court, they said the 24-year-old victim had no immediate family living in Canada and that her parents, brother and possibly other family members would be traveling from India sometime next week. A funeral service has yet to be arranged.
Bhangu and Singh had been married since 2009, but had reportedly been separated since April.
On July 28 at about 11 a.m., Bhangu was stabbed to death at the Sach Di Awaaz Newspaper office near 128 Street and 82 Avenue.
Singh was arrested at the scene and is charged with first-degree murder in relation to Bhangu's death. He also faces two other assault charges pertaining to injuries suffered by a man who attempted to intervene in the attack on Bhangu.
Singh's next court date is scheduled for Aug. 26.