Court appeal dismissed for man who murdered Saskatoon father of 5

Saskatchewan’s court of appeals has dismissed an application to overturn the conviction of a man found guilty in the death of a Saskatoon father of five.

Dallin Singharath was found guilty of second-degree murder after he shot Tyler Applegate in his backyard.

The incident happened on July 22, 2017, after a friend of Singharath got into a heated exchange with Applegate after the friend had been caught urinating on Applegate’s fence.

Singharath and two others went to confront Applegate in his backyard, which resulted in the shooting. Applegate died several weeks later from his injuries.

In 2020, he was given life in prison with no chance of parole for 13 years. He was 18 years old when he killed Applegate.

Singharath's appeal argued he did not intend to kill Applegate.

In the appeals decision, Justice Lian Schwann said Singharath’s argument “could not be considered in a vacuum.”

In the decision, Schwann notes the opinion of trial judge Justice Richard Elson that Singharath "knew the reasonable and probable consequence of his actions would be either to cause Mr. Applegate’s death or to cause him grievous bodily harm which would likely cause his death."

“In my view, the trial judge’s reasons reflect a correct understanding of the law with respect to when the common sense inference of intent may be drawn by a trier of fact," Schwann said.

The dismissal was given on January 6, 2023.

Justice Neal Caldwell and Justice Robert Leurer concurred.