Death sentence for Punjab-origin man who killed four family members in US five years ago

Gurpreet’s financial troubles and a relationship with a woman were possible motives for the slayings, according to prosecutors.

Chandigarh

Convict Gurpreet Singh hails from Khanna. In 2019, he shot dead his wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law and wife’s aunt in Ohio.

A three-judge panel of the Butler County court at Ohio in the US has sentenced 41-year-old Gurpreet Singh to death after he was found guilty of killing four members of family in 2019.

The court on May 10 convicted Gurpreet, a truck driver, of shooting dead his wife Shalinderjit Kaur, 39, his in-laws Parmjit Kaur, 62, and Hakikat Singh Pannag, 59; and his wife’s aunt Amarjit Kaur, 58, at their home in West Chester, Ohio, on April 28, 2019.

Gurpreet, who hails from Khanna, was living with his wife and children at his in-laws’ house, according to media reports.

Gurpreet’s financial troubles and a relationship with a woman were possible motives for the slayings, according to prosecutors.

Judges Greg Howard, Keith Spaeth and Greg Stephens deliberated less than three hours last week before agreeing that Gurpreet killed his wife, her parents and aunt, who was visiting them from Punjab.

Gurpreet’s first trial ended with a hung jury and mistrial in October 2022. But this time, he opted for a bench trial.

According to public prosecutor Mike Gamoser, Gurpreet committed the heinous crime to clear his path under a conspiracy. “Gurpreet maintained his innocence throughout the trial, but evidence points to him being present at the scene of the murder in his apartment,” he added.

The public prosecutor said that if the accused had admitted his wrongdoing, he would have been sentenced to life imprisonment, but now the evidence has proved him guilty and the punishment is death.

As 121 convicts await their turn to die by lethal injection in the state of Ohio, Gurpreet is the next person to be sentenced on death row, according to media reports.