Jury deliberation underway in murder trial of Malique Calloo

(Source: Windsor Police Service)

The jury is now deliberating if Malique Calloo, 30, is guilty of manslaughter or guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of Daniel Squalls, 24.

Squalls was killed in November 2022. Calloo has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. His lawyer has asked the jury to convict him to the lesser offence of manslaughter.

In closing arguments Tuesday, the defence called the murder a ‘tragic case’ of a father fighting for his child, who he believed was taken out of the country without his consent.

According to Calloo, Squalls told him, “I’m her daddy now… and you will never see her again. What are you going to do about it?”

His lawyer told the jury that comment sent Calloo into rage, causing him to “react in a heat of passion”.

Calloo fired his weapon 15 times. At least six of them hit Squalls, the jury has learned.

In their closing argument today, the Crown replayed surveillance video of the two men interacting that afternoon, up until the first gunshot. The Crown said it comes down to the conversation before Squalls was shot.

Prosecutors told the jury “it didn’t make sense”, that Squalls would make the “daddy” comment while Calloo was pointing a firearm.

And, they say there wasn’t enough time for those words to be said between the time Calloo pulled his firearm to the time the shots were fired.

The Crown is arguing Calloo acted intentionally to harm Squalls, and he should be found guilty of second-degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt.

Over the course of the last two weeks, the jury has learned both Calloo and Squalls have a child with the same woman. Squalls was living with the woman and the children at the time of his death.

The jury knows Calloo and Squalls had a “volatile” relationship marked by multiple physical altercations, death threats, and shots fired over the well being of Calloo’s child. There was no custody agreement in place.