WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Following a final hearing in Connecticut, Gurpreet Singh, who stands accused of killing his wife and three other family members in their West Chester apartment, was released into the custody of Ohio officials on Wednesday.
Authorities booked Singh into the Butler County Jail at about 12:50 a.m. Friday.
This is new video of Singh arriving to the Butler County Jail around midnight. Singh could face the death penalty if convicted of killing 4 family members, Prosecutor Mike Gmoser says a grand jury will make that decision in the coming weeks. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/eA2JKAgbFZ
— Ally Kraemer (@AllyKraemer) August 2, 2019
Ohio officials were on scene Thursday to pick Singh up and begin the long trip back to Butler County, according to officials in the office of the New Haven clerk of courts.
The 37-year-old was arrested in Branford, Connecticut nearly 30 days ago, on four charges of aggravated murder, West Chester police Chief Joel Herzog announced in early July.
Family members said Singh was in Connecticut attending a wedding. They said Singh told them that he had nothing to do with the gruesome shooting deaths that rattled West Chester Township's tight-knight Sikh community.
Butler County Court records say Singh used a 9mm handgun to kill his wife, her parents and her visiting aunt on April 28. The records say the charges are based on "observations of officers, physical evidence, statements of witnesses and statements of the offender."
The victims were:
- Singh's wife, 39-year-old Shalinderjit Kaur, shot three times. She was found on the dining room floor.
- Her father, Hakiakat Pannag, 59, shot in the head eight times. He was found with his head on a pillow in a bedroom.
- Pannag's wife, 62-year-old Parmjit Kaur, shot four times in the head and once in the arm. She was found lying on the living room floor.
- Parmjit's sister, 58-year-old Amarjit Kaur, who was visiting from India. She was shot twice in the head and also found in the living room.
Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser said this case is death penalty eligible and it is up to a grand jury to determine whether it will be a death penalty case when Singh returns to Ohio and is tried.
“Four counts of aggravated murder ... if the grand jury determines it, that can result in a specification making it death penalty eligible,” Gmoser said.
