Man fatally stabbed childhood friend in dispute about missing cat — which was later found under bed
Two childhood friends, reunited after years of losing touch.
Wayne Bilodeau had good intentions when he went to Robert Surridge's apartment near Victoria Park on May 25, 2019. Old buddies who grew up together in Port Colborne, Bilodeau had heard through a shared acquaintance that Surridge was living in Hamilton, struggling and in need of a friend. A surprise visit, he thought, would do his pal some good.
Instead, the 46-year-old ended up dead.
In a Hamilton courtroom Friday, Surridge admitted to killing Bilodeau, bringing an end to a three-year case that began hours after he fatally stabbed his childhood friend, dragged him into his bathtub and called police to turn himself in.
Clad in a navy blazer and light blue jeans with his hair slicked back, Surridge nodded in understanding as he pleaded guilty to manslaughter - a lesser offence than the second-degree murder charge he was originally set to be tried on.
The fateful meeting between Surridge and Bilodeau, court heard through an agreed statement of facts, started off amicably around 3 p.m. The pair drank beers together and caught up. About two hours later, Surridge, feeling hungry, left his Lamoreaux Street apartment to pick up a rotisserie chicken and some frozen potatoes at a nearby Fortinos.
But the mood soured as soon as he returned.
Court heard Surridge noticed his cat was missing and immediately blamed Bilodeau, who denied playing any part. As the friends ate their meal, Bilodeau asked Surridge about work and suggested finding a place to rent together. That annoyed Surridge, court heard, who was skeptical of Bilodeau's reason for visiting and insistent that he let or threw out his cat.
The argument came to a head when Surridge suddenly grabbed a large knife and stuck it into a piano in his living room, demanding Bilodeau tell the truth about the location of his cat.
(Surridge) decided it was him or me' and he grabbed (Bilodeau) and started wrestling him," according to the agreed statement of facts.
Bilodeau managed to bite Surridge's finger and back before he was fatally stabbed in the abdomen. Surridge left his body in the bathtub with the water running.
Court heard Bilodeau's DNA was detected on several items in Surridge's first-floor apartment, which was littered in shattered glass and broken pieces of wood when police arrived. Police later found Surridge's cat under his bed. It was taken by animal control.
Surridge - whose son persuaded him to call police hours after the killing - was recently unemployed and dealing with financial difficulties in May 2019, court heard.
Two psychiatric reports presented to the court found Surridge suffers from bipolar disorder and was likely experiencing symptoms when he killed Bilodeau. He wasn't on any medication at the time of the incident.
The details of an expected joint submission between Crown and defence attorneys will be heard when Surridge is sentenced Dec. 22.
Sebastian Bron is a reporter at The Spectator. sbron@thespec.com