Newly ID’d murder suspect remains at large months after Oshawa blaze

Investigators have identified a suspect in the murder and arson in an Oshawa home in the spring.

Amaar Jawaid, 22, was found dead in his home on Court St. on March 6. He had suffered an unspecified trauma and his home had been set on fire. Oshawa Fire Services was quickly able to douse the flames. The Fire Marshall deemed the blaze suspicious as it had seemingly deliberately been set in three different areas of the house.

Noting the trauma, Durham Regional Police launched a murder investigation two days later. However, Jawaid could not be immediately identified. Roughly two weeks later police were able to conclude the body was in fact Jawaid’s.

The murder was the fifth in the Region in 2023, a year in which violence has claimed eleven lives so far.

However, months passed without further updates to the case. Until, on Oct. 9, police announced they had identified a suspect in Josh Bickle, a 37-year-old Tweed man. They’ve announced a warrant for his arrest on a second-degree murder charge.

Bickle is already doing time for a violent sexual assault and is required to wear an ankle monitor at all times. Investigators believe Bickle has removed the monitor. They have appealed for information about his whereabouts from the public. He is known to frequent Belleville and Tweed but also has ties to Oshawa and the Maritime provinces.

Police urged Bickle to get a lawyer and turn himself in. They additionally stressed that anyone helping Bickle evade capture can be prosecuted as an accessory.

Anyone with information about Bickle’s whereabouts can call police at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5413 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).