The sister of Param Kaur stood at the podium in a downtown courtroom Monday, holding a file folder next to the side of her head so she wouldn’t have to see the man in the prisoner’s box who had just admitted to killing her sister nearly three years.

Felice Passarelli admitted to the unlawful killing of 58-year-old Param Kaur, who was known as Pam, before Superior Court Justice Jane Kelly found the 71-year-old not-criminally responsible (NCR) of second-degree murder, after a joint submission by Crown and defence.

The judge found that a major mental disorder, known as delusional disorder, rendered Passarelli unable to appreciate the moral wrongfulness of his actions when he fatally stabbed Kaur in her own home.

In a tearful impact statement. Surina Kaur cried as she described her sister Pam as a generous, unselfish, respectful and very caring woman.

The youngest of six siblings, Surina said Pam dedicated much of her life of her time to caring for the siblings’ aging parents.

“Her compassion, caring for others and generosity was unwavering. Her career in real estate was extremely demanding and headed upwards through a lot of long weary hours,” said Surina, who said Pam loved working and would never think of retiring.

Surina told court that since her sister’s death, she lives with constant anxiety and fear. “I block the doors at night with chairs and have removed all ‘tools’ from my kitchen that took my sister’s life,” she said.

According to an agreed statement of facts, on Nov. 10, 2023, around 6 a.m., Passarelli was in Kaur’s condominium on Zorra Street at the Queensway near Kipling Avenue when he stabbed her multiple times in the neck and on the side of her face, causing her death.

On or about Nov. 2, 2023, Passarelli met Kaur’s two sisters in the parking lot outside a nearby condominium on the Queensway and inquired about the building, advising them he was looking for a short-term rental. All three sisters owned a condo in the building. The two sisters told Passarelli they were renting the unit out and showed him the unit.

Unable to come to an agreement regarding the cost of rent and the duration of the rental, they gave Pam Kaur’s number to Passarelli because she was a realtor and could negotiate further.

Sometime between Nov. 2 and 5, 2023, Passarelli contacted Pam Kaur and during that time Kaur decided Passarelli would stay in her condo, as he looked for a place to stay.

The facts state that Passarelli slept on a Murphy bed near the front entrance of Kaur’s kitchen. The two were not romantically involved.

On Nov. 10th, Harpreet Kumar was working the overnight shift as a security guard at the condo building where Kaur lived when at approximately 6:05 a.m., Passarelli approached him in the lobby,

Passarelli, who was barefoot and bare-chested, was wearing a burgundy blazer and matching pants and had a small laceration on his forehead and blood on his hands, stomach, chest and pants. He was also carrying a small black bag.

Passarelli told Kumar to call 911, but refused to answer questions about why and would only speak to 911.

Kumar called 911 and minutes later, Toronto Fire Services arrived.

Passarelli appeared to be in shock and looked distressed. He advised the firefighters he had gotten into a fight with Kaur and said she was upstairs in unit 203 where she lived alone.

The two firefighters went upstairs with Kumar while Passarelli remained seated in the lobby. The door to unit 203 was closed but not locked. Once inside, the firefights found Kaur inside the bedroom, laying sideways on the ground next to the bed in a large puddle of blood.

Kaur was wearing a shirt and pants and was holding the handle of a knife with a six- to seven-inch blade facing upwards in her left hand.

The firefighters tried to revive Kaur but she had no pulse nor sign of life and was pronounced dead.

Two forensic psychiatrists. Dr. Brian Robertson and Dr. Treena Wilkie, jointly assessed Passarelli. A psychological assessment was also done. The conclusion was that Passarelli was suffering from a mental disorder called “delusional disorder.” Just a week prior to the fatal stabbing, he returned to Toronto from Montreal and was sleeping in his vehicle.

“He carried a briefcase full of documents that he viewed as evidence of a widespread conspiracy against him,” the forensic psychiatrists wrote in their report.

The psychiatrists found Passarelli had clearly and consistently experienced persecutorial delusions for many years.

They found in the days leading up to the stabbing of Kaur, he met with numerous individuals in the pursuit of renting an apartment.

“These individuals quickly became integrated into his delusional system,” said the report.

Kaur declined Passarelli’s offer to rent her condominium, but offered to allow him to live with her on a temporary basis until he could secure housing.

The psychiatrists wrote that Passarelli did not feel comfortable in her apartment and felt she was lying to him about many things, such as his access to a swipe card, the nature of her work, and having to attend the courthouse due to an issue with one of her apartments.

“He felt that he could tell she was lying ‘by the way she talked.’ He believed he was being recorded by a device in her ceiling. On the night of the index offence, he believed that because she had thrown a brochure at him and told him they were going to get him an apartment the next day, she was actually going to take him to jail. He believed that she was part of the larger conspiracy against him because he had never hired her to ‘do any real estate work.’ He felt his life was at risk,” the report said.

The report concluded that Passarelli was delusional and in a fearful state when he found a knife and used it to stab Kaur. He reported he did this because he viewed her as a threat to her life.

Passarelli was asked if he considered the wrongfulness of his actions when he stabbed the victim. He “was more thinking about what was happening to me. I was shaking.” He attacked her with a knife while she was lying her bed.

When he realized that he had harmed her and that her life was in danger, he went to seek help as he did not intend to kill her.

“He was also likely not able to rationally apply any knowledge he had, if any, regarding the wrongfulness of his behavior given the intensity of his delusions,” the report concluded.

Passarelli’s lawyer Steven Stauffer said his client’s delusional thinking has stopped since being medicated. He also told court his client is very upset, cries a lot and understands that he will be under the control of the Ontario Review Board (ORB).

“There’s no understanding he will be quickly released on the streets. That’s simply not going to happen,” said Stauffer.