WEST CHESTER, Ohio — A man accused of murdering his wife and three other family members in West Chester on April 28, 2019 is set began his new trial on Monday.
This is the second time 40-year-old Gurpreet Singh will stand trial for the quadruple homicide that left his wife, 39-year-old Shalinderjit Kaur; her parents, 59-year-old Hakiakat Singh Pannag and 62-year-old Parmjit Kaur; and Parmjit's sister, 58-year-old Amarjit Kaur dead.
In the first trial, which took place in October 2022, the jury was not able to come to a unanimous decision, leading to a hung jury after more than 14 hours of deliberation.
Now, Singh will stand trial again, but with one stark difference: There will be no jury.
In November 2023, Singh waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead for a three-judge panel to decide his fate — which could include the death penalty.
A death penalty case before a three-judge panel is a rarity. The last one in Butler County was 13 years ago when Greg Osie of West Chester was convicted by a panel consisting of judges Noah Powers, Charles Pater and Patricia Oney. The charges were for aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence in connection to the stabbing death of David Williams on Feb. 14, 2009.
Just as in a jury trial, the verdict by a three-judge panel in the guilt phase must be unanimous. In the mitigation phase, the verdict among the judges must be unanimous for death, if it is not, the ruling is life without the possibility of parole, according to Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser.
During the first trial, prosecutors spent 10 days trying to convince jurors Singh pulled the trigger, while Singh's defense called just one witness to testify.
The prosecution claimed Singh's marriage and finances unraveled due to a long-standing affair, and the night of the murders Singh arranged for his children to be kept away from the family's apartment.
Singh's cellphone and car GPS as well as Google data also put Singh inside his apartment minutes before the killings, the prosecution said.
Singh's attorneys pushed back, arguing that Singh had no blood from the victims on them, despite how bloody the crime scenes were.
Following the mistrial in 2022, family members of the victims expressed disappointment that Singh was not held responsible for the murders.
"Still, we are crying every day because of that," said Garry Hans, son of Amarjit.
Singh has been housed in the Butler County jail without bond since his arrest months after the murders took place.
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.
READ MORE:
Prosecution, jurors disappointed as quadruple murder trial of Gurpreet Singh ends in hung jury
Family of victims in West Chester quadruple murder 'crying every day' after hung jury in Singh trial
West Chester man accused of killing 4 family members waives jury trial in death penalty case
Retrial of man accused of killing 4 family members in 2019 on track for spring 2024
