BURST
A man serving a life sentence for the “gruesome” murder of his wife in their Mississauga apartment over a decade ago has died in a B.C. prison.
The Correctional Service of Canada said Nelson Tayongtong, who was serving a life sentence at Pacific Institution in Abbotsford, died on Sunday, apparently from natural causes. He was 52.
In October 2017, Tayongtong was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder for killing his wife, Aicha Saludares, on Sept. 8, 2012. Saludares has been stabbed 85 times and both a paramedic and police officer described the crime scene in the couple’s apartment as “gruesome.”
Tayongtong and Saludares, both born in the Philippines, married in Ontario around 2010. Not long after, Tayongtong suffered a debilitating stroke that left him barely able to see, walk or talk, according to a 2017 report in the Mississauga News .
Saluderas nursed her husband through the aftermath of the stroke and posted updates on social media about his recovery, expressing gratitude as his condition began to improve.
Months later, Tayongtong brutally murdered Saluderas. Family members were the first to find her body.
Tayongtong fled but was arrested two weeks later in Oakville, Ont., after investigators were tipped off to his whereabouts.
Supreme Court of Canada records show that, during a case management meeting at a Brampton courthouse, Tayongtong interrupted another case and “uttered several inculpatory statements including admissions of guilt.”
He was assessed to determine whether he was fit to stand trial, then the trial continued with Tayongtong pleading not guilty. The trial judge ruled that the prosecution could use his statements of guilt as evidence.
Tayongtong’s lawyer appealed the second-degree murder verdict, but it was dismissed in 2021.
The Correctional Service of Canada said it will review the circumstances of Tayongtong’s death and police and the coroner were notified.