Stabbed 37 times with kitchen knife: Indian-origin Varinder Singh found guilty for sister-in-law's murder in California

Varinder Singh, an Indian-origin man, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his sister-in-law Kuljeet Kaur.

“Varinder Singh, an Indian-origin man, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his sister-in-law Kuljeet Kaur who was stabbed 37 times with an eight-inch kitchen knife in 2022”

The Times of India

Kaur was stabbed 37 times with an eight-inch kitchen knife in 2022 in California.

The Times of India

Singh did not plead guilty and told the court he had been looked down upon by the family of his wife, identified as SK, because of his lower class.

He said he had been forced to marry Kaur's sister and alleged that the sisters stole money he had saved for a new truck.

Singh told jurors that on the day of the killing Kaur threatened to kill him and that when he brought a knife his wife grabbed and held him from behind, which he said resulted in a knife fight leading to Kaur's death.

Prosecutors and investigators described a sustained attack: Singh stabbed Kaur 12 times in her torso and inflicted stab wounds on other parts of her body as she tried to defend herself.

The attack began inside the house and spilled onto the streets.

The Times of India

Singh went back inside to get his phone and continued the assault, went inside again for his shoes and keys, then fled the house.

He left in a BMW sedan and was apprehended about 45 minutes later near a Raley's supermarket in Rohnert Park.

At trial Singh said he stabbed Kaur twice out of fear, then blacked out and did not remember what he did next, telling the court through a Punjabi interpreter, "I lost my brain at the time and I didn't know what I was doing," the Press Democrat reported.

The jury deliberated on whether the killing was premeditated.

Sonoma County District Attorney Jason Riehl said Singh had multiple opportunities to calm down but continued the stabbing, and neighbors who came to try to stop the attack were told to go away.

“Varinder Singh, an Indian-origin man, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his sister-in-law Kuljeet Kaur who was stabbed 37 times with an eight-inch kitchen knife in 2022”

The Times of India

Investigators said Singh was a long-haul truck driver with a bad temper who 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.