After four days of deliberation, a jury found a Santa Rosa man guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his sister-in-law who he stabbed 37 times with an 8-inch kitchen knife during an attack that began inside their home before spilling outside in front of neighbors.
Varinder Singh sat silently with his head lowered as the jury of five women and seven men presented their verdict to Sonoma County Judge Kenneth Gnoss on Tuesday afternoon, March 3. In addition to the murder count, jurors also found Singh guilty of a misdemeanor count of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse.
Following Tuesday’s hearing, jurors told The Press Democrat no one doubted Singh killed Kuljeet Kaur but they did not all agree premeditation was involved. This factored into a guilty verdict of second-degree murder over first-degree murder.
Jurors, who began deliberating Feb. 25, acknowledged they spent a long time discussing the case. One, who declined to give her name, said “Everyone felt passionate and wanted to get it right.”
Singh faces 15 years to life in prison when sentenced April 28 for killing Kaur the afternoon of April 25, 2022.
His trial began earlier this month in Sonoma County Superior Court and a verdict hinged on whether jurors believed Singh’s claim the killing resulted from months of mistreatment and a fear he’d be killed by Kaur and his wife, identified in court as SK.
Singh’s defense attorney, Joseph Bisbiglia, argued his client should at most be found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, which would have carried a significantly lighter sentence.
In his closing arguments Feb. 24, Sonoma County District Attorney Jason Riehl balked at Singh’s version of events. He emphasized among other things Singh had multiple opportunities to calm down and end the attack, but instead continued stabbing Kaur even when approached by his wife and neighbors.
“He’s making eye contact with people coming to assist and he tells them to go away,” Riehl told jurors.
Investigators said Singh was a long-haul truck driver who had a bad temper and had threatened to kill family members in the past. They said the killing occurred after Kaur, having learned Singh threatened to attack SK with a hammer, tried to convince her sister not to go with him on an upcoming trip.
According to prosecutors, an enraged Singh retrieved the kitchen knife and stabbed Kaur 12 times in her torso and the knife hit her lungs, aorta and intestines. She also had 22 stab wounds to her hands and arms, making it evident she tried to defend herself. Singh shoved SK during the altercation, leading to the misdemeanor count.
After the attack spilled outside, prosecutors said Singh went back inside to get his phone before returning outside and continuing his attack. He then went back inside for his shoes and keys before driving away.
Responding officers found a bloody scene in and around the home, with surveillance footage and witness statements confirming that Kaur tried to defend herself, officials said. Singh fled in a BMW sedan but was apprehended about 45 minutes later near a Raley’s supermarket in Rohnert Park.
Singh pleaded not guilty to charges and fought back tears as he testified on his own behalf last week. He said he was forced into marrying SK and portrayed himself as an unwanted member of a family whose members looked down on him for being part of a lower class and stole cash he’d been saving to buy a new truck and trailer.
While testifying about Kaur’s death, Singh said Kaur threatened to stab him first and he brought her the knife to call her bluff. SK then grabbed and held him from behind and said she would not “spare” her husband.
A struggle over the knife ensued and Bisbiglia said Singh bit Kaur twice to defend himself. Singh testified he stabbed Kaur twice out of fear, but blacked out and did not recall the rest of the events.
“I lost my brain at the time and I didn’t know what I was doing,” Singh said through a Punjabi interpreter.
Riehl stressed in a rebuttal argument last week that Singh often contradicted himself and made statements meant to gain sympathy.
Among the disputed claims was SK was a bad wife who posed a threat the day of the killing. If she was such a threat, Riehl said, Singh would have done more than push her away.
“This was a targeted killing and the target was Kuljeet,” Riehl said.
You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com.
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