West Chester quadruple homicide trial: Defendant’s cousins testify about night of murders

The woman at the center of what the prosecution says is motive for Gurpreet Singh to kill his wife and three other family members in April 2019 took the stand this week in the retrial of the man she had an affair with for two years leading up to the homicides.

The 41-year-old former truck driver is accused of shooting to death his wife Shalinderjit Kaur, 39; his in-laws, Hakikat Singh Pannag, 59, and Parmjit Kaur, 62; and his aunt-in-law, Amarjit Kaur, 58, inside their Lakefront Apartment on Wyntree Drive.

Navkiran Kaur, 37, who still lives in the same Indianapolis house Singh helped finance, testified she began a intimate relationship with the defendant after her divorce in 2017. She knew Singh was married and had three children.

Their relationship began as a friendship when she met Singh through her husband in 2011. During difficulties with her ex-husband, Kaur said Singh checked on her, corresponding through text and phone.

When her marriage ended, Kaur said the relationship developed into an affair. She saw Singh once or twice a week and talked daily.

She said she has not communicated with Singh since the night of the quadruple homicide when messages went unanswered.

In 2015, Kaur moved into a house in an Indianapolis neighborhood where Singh also purchased a residence. Singh gave Kaur $20,000 for the house, provided her with an Audi to drive and at times made mortgage payments, according to her testimony.

“He (Singh) paid everything,” Kaur said when asked by Assistant Prosecutor Jon Marshall if Singh also paid for her car insurance.

During cross examination by defense attorney Alexandra Deardorff, Kaur said the $20,000 was meant to be a loan and the car was to be returned to Singh.

Kaur said it was her understanding Singh was going to move to Indianapolis with his family.

“He (Singh) loved his family?” Deardorff asked Kaur.

“Yes,” she answered.

“He was nice to everybody?,” Deardorff asked. “Not a bad guy. Very kind?”

“He was kind. I don’t know now,” Kaur said glancing at Singh seated just feet away.

The capital murder trial continued this week in Butler County Common Pleas Court with the prosecution possibly resting.

A three-judge panel comprised of Judges Greg Howard, Greg Stephens and Keith Spaeth are weighing the evidence this time around. Singh’s first trial ended in a hung jury in October 2022.

The defense and prosecution agree Singh was present when four of his family members were shot and killed in their West Chester Twp. apartment, but the prosecutors say he was the killer, and the defense says he was a witness.

During opening statements, Marshall said in addition to victims’ blood, gunshot residue and DNA found on Singh, GPS evidence can place Singh in the parking lot of the apartment complex at 9:03 p.m. That is 39 minutes before the 911 call was placed.

“He is here because he lied. In reality he was there and witnessed the brutality,” Deardorff said. “He probably should not have lied to the police; it does not make him a killer.”