Singh is accused of killing his wife, Shalinderjit Kaur, 39; his in-laws, Hakikat Singh Pannag, 59, and Parmjit Kaur, 62; and his aunt by marriage, Amarjit Kaur, 58, at their residence on Wyndtree Drive. All died of gunshot wounds.
The hearing for a motion to suppress evidence and statements by Singh filed by the defense team began in March with a day-long court session. The hearing was scheduled to continue two weeks later but was moved several times due to coronavirus concerns and eventually scheduled for Monday. Singh’s trial date has also been reset for May 3, 2021.
During the early March hearing, the defense argued Singh’s rights were violated when he was questioned while handcuffed outside the scene and at the police department. But prosecutors say Singh was handcuffed for about 10 minutes for officer safety and as a witness when they found him bloody in the stairwell of the apartment building.
At the Monday hearing, police body camera video was played showing Singh from the moments after he called 911.
Singh is seen wearing a red shirt, jeans and socks. As officers move toward him, blood is visible on his hands, shirt, pants and socks. He cries and says, “please help them.”
He was later taken to a “soft interview room” to talk to detectives.
During questioning by Detective Randy Farris, Singh said he spent the day at the apartment and didn’t leave until the afternoon because his back was hurting. Others, including his in-laws and children, left to shop, work and go to church, he said.
Later in the day, Singh, a truck driver, said he went to where his semi was parked. When he returned home, the door to the apartment was open and his family was dead, he said.
“When I saw my mom I thought she fell on the ground and hit her head,” Singh told the detective.
He referred to his in-laws as mom and dad.
“Then I saw my wife and my aunt, all bleeding,” he said. “Then I see my dad, he is in bed, he’s bleeding too.”
Singh said he tried to give the victims water and talk to them, “but no one talked.”
Police pressed Singh about whether he or his family had any enemies, debts, alcohol problems or a gambling addictions that could be a reason for the slayings.
“I don’t know who would what to kill them,” Singh answered. “I don’t know, I don’t know.”
Singh repeatedly asked about his three young children and was permitted to make a call to determine they were safe with his sister.
After a couple of hours of testimony, Farris told Singh that his family had been shot and requested to conduct a test on his hands for the presence of gunshot residue. Singh told the detective he did own a gun and had not shot it in years.
Singh became upset when asked to take the gunshot residue test stating and said, “I want to go home right now.”
He got up, but the detective told him to sit down and read him his Miranda rights.
“I don’t want to talk. I want to go to my kids,” Singh told the detective. “No one told me they were shot. Oh my God, this is wrong.”
When Singh said he wanted a lawyer, detectives didn’t ask additional questions but told Singh he was being detained until they could get a search warrant to swab his hands.
“You are treating me like I am a criminal … my kids are alone they are in danger. Someone shot my family,” Singh said.
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