A Michigan man convicted of murdering his estranged wife in Windsor and hiding her body has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
The sentence was handed down Tuesday in Ontario Superior Court following an October jury verdict finding the man guilty of first-degree murder in the 2023 killing of Sahra Bulle, 36.
During sentencing, the 47-year-old defendant spoke publicly for the first time, calling the case a “tragedy” while maintaining his innocence. He told the court that when he went to sleep, Bulle was alive, and when he woke up, she was not, a statement that drew audible gasps from family members seated in the courtroom.
Victim impact statements painted a far different picture.
Bulle’s mother, Fartumo Kusow, told the court her daughter’s death has left a permanent void in the family. She described years of abuse and said her daughter “loved somebody who never deserved her care,” adding that the pain has touched every moment of their lives.
Outside the courthouse, Kusow said the defendant’s remarks showed a complete lack of remorse.
Justice Ian Leach rejected the defendant’s claims of innocence and responsibility shifting, stating plainly that no one else was to blame. He described the case as “spousal abuse in its most horrible form” and criticized the defendant’s courtroom statements as being “strikingly at odds” with earlier claims of responsibility made in a pre-sentence report.
Evidence at trial showed Bulle met the defendant at a motel on Huron Church Road in late May 2023. She was never seen alive again. Surveillance video captured the defendant leaving the motel carrying what appeared to be a body wrapped in bedding and a garbage bag before walking toward a nearby wooded area.
Bulle’s remains were discovered weeks later in a shallow grave. Forensic examination revealed blunt force trauma to the head and severe chest injuries, including multiple broken ribs, though decomposition prevented investigators from determining an exact cause of death.
A 12-person jury deliberated less than five hours before returning a guilty verdict on first-degree murder. The defendant had previously pleaded guilty to causing an indignity to a human body.
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Assistant Crown Attorney Emile Carrington called intimate partner violence a “plague,” saying the case reflected a broader, ongoing crisis that continues to devastate families and communities.
Under Canadian law, first-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence with no parole eligibility for 25 years. The sentence clock begins from the date of arrest in June 2023.
Additional conditions include a lifetime prohibition on certain weapons, a DNA order, and a no-contact order with Bulle’s family. The defendant is expected to face deportation proceedings after eventual parole eligibility.
Several family members told the court they may never know exactly what happened the night Bulle was killed, a reality that continues to compound their grief.
As Justice Leach stated in closing, Bulle was entitled to protection and respect from her husband and received neither.