WEST CHESTER, Ohio — After deliberating for roughly three hours spread over two days, a three-judge panel sentenced Gurpreet Singh to death.
Singh was convicted the week before of all four counts of aggravated murder, and the firearm specifications attached to each charge; on Tuesday, the panel also sentenced him to four counts of the death penalty.
After Singh was convicted, family members of the victims thanked the judges, law enforcement officials and the residents of West Chester and the Sikh community for all their support.
"Our relatives cherished living in West Chester and always had praise for you all," said Ajaib Singh. "Today they are proud of you and saying thank you for the justice."
Ajaib said the trial was difficult for his family and re-opened wounds.
"I felt that my relatives got murdered today again," he said. "The whole day was pretty rough for us. What we heard, we just could not believe ... that finally, we are getting justice."
When asked how he felt about Gurpreet Singh, Ajaib said he wanted him to suffer in hell.
Garry Hans, whose mother was one of the victims, agreed with the sentiment.
"He deserves hell, yeah," said Hans. "He murdered four members of my family, he deserves the death penalty. Not one — four death penalties because he shot them in the head."
Hans said after the verdict was read, he felt as if his mother and other family members were standing with them and saying thanks; another family member added that Gurpreet's conviction was the best Mother's Day present for Hans and the family.
The last time anyone was sentenced to death by a three-judge panel in Butler County was in 2011 — 13 years ago. Ohio hasn't executed a death row inmate since 2018.
According to Attorney General Dave Yost, Ohioans on death row spend an average of more than 21 years before an execution date is set, mostly because there are lengthy appeal processes.
Still, defense attorney Mark Krumbein said inmates on death row are afforded fewer freedoms than other inmates.
"If a person's on death row, they're greatly restricted," said Krumbein. "They only get out a little bit every day. And some people lose their minds when they're on death row because it's so restrictive. It's so different from being in the general population. So in that regard, it still means a lot for a person on death row. And then further, they're waiting. They are waiting perhaps for their execution in the future."
This is the second time 40-year-old Gurpreet Singh stood 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.
This time, Singh opted to waive his right to a jury trial, opting instead for a three-judge panel — a rarity in a death penalty case. That panel was comprised of Judges Greg Howard, Greg Stephens and Keith Spaeth.
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.
The defense and prosecution agreed during the trial that Singh was there as his family members were shot to death; the prosecutors say he was the killer, and the defense says he was a witness.
The motive, according to prosecutors, was Singh’s mistress and money disputes with his father-in-law. That drove Singh to commit the murder after assuring his three children were out of the apartment with his cousins, prosecutors allege. And Singh never told anyone he had witnessed the murders — not police, not other family members.
But the defense pointed to an ongoing continuous dispute Hakikat had over land in India with at least one person with a criminal past as the reason for the family’s’ slaying.
Calixto Hernandez was the only defense witness, testifying via Zoom from Kentucky.
Hernandez lived in the Wyntree Drive apartments on April 28, 2019, the night of the murders. He said he heard gunshots and someone “running into the trees.”
He said the person was dressed in a hoodie and was running fast.
During cross examination Assistant Butler County Prosecutor Jon Marshall asked Hernandez if he remembered telling police on the night of the murders the had not heard any suspicious noises such as gunshots.
“I don’t remember what I said to then to be honest,” Hernandez said.
Before resting its case, Singh was quizzed by the three-judge panel to ensure he was voluntarily giving up his right to testify in his own defense.
“Yes, sir,” Singh answered.
