Hamilton, Ohio – The second capital murder trial is set to commence on Monday for Gurpreet Singh, who stands accused of the fatal shooting of four family members at their West Chester apartment over five years ago. Singh’s initial trial ended with a hung jury and mistrial in October 2022.
Prosecutors allege that on the evening of April 28, 2019, Singh, now 41 years old, murdered his wife, Shalinderjit Kaur, 39; her parents Parmjit Kaur, 62, and Hakiakat Singh Pannag, 59; and his wife’s aunt, Amarjit Kaur, 58, at the Lakefront at West Chester apartment complex on Wyndtree Drive.
In this upcoming trial, Singh has opted for a bench trial rather than a jury trial. Given the potential for the death penalty in this case, a three-judge panel will be responsible for determining Singh’s fate based on the evidence presented by the prosecution and defense.
Maintaining his innocence, Singh has pleaded not guilty to four counts of aggravated murder. After the killings, West Chester police initially questioned Singh as a witness but did not detain him. Singh later called 911 to report the discovery of his relatives’ bodies.
Following his arrest in Connecticut less than three months after the incident, Singh was indicted the subsequent month. During his first trial, his defense team asserted that another individual was the true suspect, alleging connections to the “India Land Mafia.”
While relatives of the victims are convinced of Singh’s guilt and have demanded justice, taxpayers are covering Singh’s legal expenses due to his indigent status and the seriousness of the case. Despite the potential costs associated with the death penalty phase of the trial, it may ultimately be inconsequential, as Governor Mike DeWine suspended executions in Ohio in 2020, citing drug shortages for lethal injections.
The last individual executed in Ohio was Robert Van Hook, a Sharonville resident, who was put to death in 2018, more than three decades after committing a brutal murder in downtown Cincinnati. This case underscores the complexities and challenges surrounding capital punishment in the state.
As the second trial for Gurpreet Singh unfolds, the community awaits the outcome of this high-profile case, seeking closure and justice for the victims and their families.