A Montreal man on trial for murdering his wife on Christmas Eve nearly ten years ago claims he was being threatened with a knife when he flew into a fit of rage and turned the blade on his spouse during an argument in their home.

The subject of a Canada-wide warrant, Harinder Singh Cheema was arrested by U.S. authorities two years ago after fleeing to California. He had remarried and was living under an assumed identity.

Cheema now faces a second-degree murder charge. He took the stand in his defence on Wednesday, telling the court that a heated argument with 29-year-old Gurpreet Kaur turned violent when she picked up a knife and attempted to stab him.

“I told her to put the knife down. And then I lost it,” said the 38-year-old. “I stabbed her, ladies and gentlemen. Basically, she provoked me. I don’t know how many times I stabbed her.”

An autopsy revealed Kaur suffered at least 14 stab wounds. Cheema told the court he felt sorry for what happened and asked the jury for forgiveness.

“I consider it rage. Otherwise, I would have never stabbed my wife. It’s not easy. If somebody tries to stab you, you don’t have time to think about it,” he said.

At the time, the couple had two young children, one just 20 days old and another 18 months. Cheema said the newborn was crying a lot at the time of the argument, and Kaur had refused to feed the child.

He left his wife’s body inside their apartment in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, fleeing with the two children before dropping them off with a friend.

Cheema said he nearly surrendered to police after the slaying, acting on a friend’s advice, but reconsidered at the last minute.

“I went to the police station. Someone asked, ‘Can I help you?’ I thought, ‘What if I get the death penalty?’ So I walked out,” he said.

Canada formally abolished the death penalty in 1976.

Cheema’s lawyer asked if he had a history of domestic violence. He replied, “I’m not a woman beater. OK, I stabbed my wife, but I am not a woman beater.”

The trial continues on Thursday.

With a report from CTV Montreal’s Stephane Giroux