'He said that somebody hurt him': Saskatoon police renew calls for help solving historic homicide

Saskatoon police are renewing calls for information that could help solve the historic homicide of Rizalino Cajuguiran.

The 43-year-old Cajuguiran — known to friends as “Singh” — was found dead 22 years ago in an apartment in the 100 block of Avenue U South, the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) said in a release.

An autopsy conducted after Cajuguiran's death showed internal injuries due to blunt-force trauma.

When police first found his body in June 2002, they weren’t sure it was a homicide.

“Nothing. Nothing that could be viewed. We can't say for sure it could be foul play. It may not be foul play. We're not sure,” police told CTV News at the time.

Cajuguiran was last seen alive by a friend who dropped him off at his apartment late in the night on June 14, 2002. Hours later, he says he got a disturbing phone call.

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“Five o'clock in the morning he phoned me. He said that somebody hurt him. But he doesn't know,” Cajuguiran’s friend told CTV News in 2002.

Cajuguiran’s other friend had a key to his suite, but he wasn't able to get there until June 16. That's when he found his friend's body.

“I go outside already. I called my brother [and said] ‘Singh is dead, Singh is dead.’ And I saw blood on his nose and mouth,” he said.

Singh's ex-wife said alcohol broke them up 10 years before Cajuguiran’s death, but she said that she and her two daughters had maintained a good relationship with him.

“Yeah, I was shocked when his friend phoned me that Singh is gone,” she said.