‘A targeted hit’: Mississauga man guilty of hiring hit man to shoot his ex-partner with a crossbow
An Ontario man has been found guilty of attempted murder for hiring a hit man to kill his ex-common law partner with a crossbow.
This was a targeted hit," Brampton Superior Court Justice Jennifer Woollcombe said Wednesday, convicting Roger Jaggernauth in a plot to kill his former partner because she was seeking a cut of the Mississauga home they once shared.
On Nov. 7, 2018, Jaggernauth's ex-partner opened the door of her Mississauga home to a man impersonating a delivery man with a package. The man shot her in the torso with a crossbow; its bolt pierced her chest, severely and permanently damaging internal organs before lodging into a wall.
The woman, who the Star is not naming as a victim of domestic violence, survived following three days of life-saving surgeries detailed in a 2020 Peel police video.
After finally leaving a volatile and toxic five-year relationship, I was finally feeling happy and looking forward to the life I wanted," she said in the police video, in which her identity is obscured. That all changed for me when I answered the door to a man posing as a delivery person."
Although the disguised shooter has never been identified, the woman told police that she thought her ex-boyfriend, Jaggernauth, might be involved.
Jaggernauth sought to kill his estranged partner because he knew he would have to pay her about $350,000 back for her investment in the home, Woollcombe said in her decision.
The risk to Mr. Jaggernauth, that he would lose his most precious possession, made his situation dire and desperate," the judge said.
He knew he could not sell the home without paying her, and had a clear and demonstrated motive."
Jaggernauth was also found guilty of counselling a former Satan's Choice biker gang member to commit the murder.
At trial, the ex-biker testified about a conversation in which Jaggernauth asked if he knew anyone who could take her out." But the call didn't work, and the biker testified he refused to help.
It was a serious question, intended to further Mr. Jaggernauth's goal of having the (victim) killed," Woolcombe noted, adding that Jaggernauth had also made damning statements to his work supervisor, saying he would or could kill her."
The guilty verdict on both counts was met with jubilation from attending family and friends of the victim, some of whom could be seen sobbing and applauding as Woollcombe's final ruling was heard.
Outside the courtroom, the victim embraced relatives and hugged Crown prosecutor Keeley Holmes and investigators.
Jaggernauth pleaded not guilty. At trial, the defence tried to dismiss the former biker's evidence as unreliable.
The former couple had separated in the months leading up to the attack. By the summer of 2018, the woman had retained a lawyer to start ligation against Jaggernauth.
Following up on the victim's suspicions, Peel police zeroed in on Jaggernauth as a suspect and launched a more than 21-month investigation, including listening in on his phone conversations. Jaggernauth, who was 50 at the time, was arrested in August 2020.
The shooter, who was never found, was described as white, tall and skinny.
The case is scheduled to return to court on June 23.
For women facing domestic violence, the end of a relationship is often the most dangerous time, a pattern that has been repeated in several recent cases in the GTA.
Jason Miller is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering crime and justice in the Peel Region. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @millermotionpic