HAMILTON, Ohio — Six former neighbors, a West Chester Township police investigator, and two people who claim Gurpreet Singh assaulted his late father-in-law testified in Singh's murder trial Tuesday.
Singh could get the death penalty if convicted of killing his wife Shalinderjit Kaur, her parents Hakiakat Singh Pannag and Parmjit Kaur, and Parmjit's sister Amarjit Kaur.
The first three witnesses described hearing loud "bangs" the night of the murder. All three lived in the apartment complex where the murders happened.
"I didn't recognize it as gunshots at the moment," Coria Wheeler, a former neighbor of the victims said. "I had to walk with my dog towards the front of (building 4557) before (getting to) my building and that's when I heard a splash."
Authorities found a Ruger pistol with its serial number drilled off dumped in a pond in the complex.
First witness on day 4 of testimony in Gurpreet Singh murder trial is Miranda Weller who lived near pond where authorities recovered gun. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/FZHLwtk8V4
— Larry Seward (@LSewardWCPO) October 11, 2022
Another former neighbor, Miranda Weller testified that she heard gunshots then saw a man screaming, "Call police! They're bleeding!"
A third former neighbor, Christopher Dauer, told jurors he heard shots just after 9:28 p.m. that night. He remembered the time because he was outside smoking cigarettes and texted a friend hoping to get marijuana just before shots rang out.
Irma Ailon lived in the building where Singh's family died. She heard what sounded like firecrackers around 9:30 p.m. that night. Ailon told jurors a man knocked on her door but got no response because Ailon had children inside.
Christopher Thomas, an officer for Colerain police at the time, lived in an apartment with his wife, Ashleigh and children on the second floor above the Singh's home. Both told jurors they heard loud "bangs" between 9:15 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. the night of the shootings.
Prosecutors also called Sergeant James Brenner, who was in charge of Special Investigations Unit for West Chester Police in 2019. He told jurors about search warrants served on the home of Maninder Sekhon, Gurpreet's cousin. Investigators found mail with Gurpreet Singh's name. They also found blood stains and a long hair on bed sheets.
Singh's defense argued that Gurpreet and his children stayed there when his home was declared a crime scene and accessible only to investigators.
The jury also heard testimony from Amrik Tiwana. He told jurors that he and Hakiakat Pannag were good friends. Tiwana also claimed Pannah owned land in India worth $400,000 that Gurpreet Singh wanted sold to get the money.
Members of the Sikh guardwara held an intervention meeting to help settle the dispute, Tiwana said. Two months before the murders, he claimed Pannag was bruised, upset, shaking, crying and said Gurpreet caused it.
"You never observed Gurpreet lay a finger on Hakiakat, right?" J.R. Bernans, one of Singh's attorneys, asked Tiwana.
"No," Tiwana said on the stand.
"Are you aware of Hakiakat actually being at the hospital previously to February 9 because he had fallen down the stairs intoxicated," Bernans asked.
"I"m not sure he was intoxicated," Tiwana answered.
The last witness of the day was the first victim family member to testify. Ajaib Singh is Gurpreet Singh's uncle-in-law. Ajaib's sisters, Amarjit and Parmjit are among the victims.
Ajaib told jurors that Amarjit came from India to visit her sister, Parmjit, in West Chester before the murders. The day of the shooting, Ajaib testified that Amarjit called him afraid and wanted to leave the apartment. Singh's defense challenged this claim.
"When you spoke to police on May 2, 2019, you told them you did not think about hearing fear in (Amarjit's) voice at the time of that phone call, correct?" Neil Schuett, one of Singh's attorneys, asked Ajaib Singh in court.
"No," Ajaib said. "I did not say that."
"You did not say that," Schuett responded.
"No," Ajaib said. "I did not say that."
"You didn't discuss with them that you didn't hear fear," Schuett asked.
"No," Ajaib said. "She had fear."
Singh's defense pressed Ajaib about conversations he had with West Chester Township police where Ajaib described Gurpreet as "a coward not capable of killing a chicken" or "torturing his wife."
Testimony resumes Wednesday morning.
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