Case Explained: Santa Rosa man says he feared his family the day of sister-in-law killing – Legal Perspective

A Santa Rosa man said he thought members of a family he was forced into were going to kill him the day he’s suspected of stabbing his sister-in-law 37 times during a confrontation at their home.

Varinder Singh wiped away tears as he testified this week in Sonoma County Superior Court, where he’s charged with murder in the 2022 slaying of Kuljeet Kaur in Santa Rosa. His jury trial began early this month and, speaking through a Punjabi interpreter in court Thursday and Friday, Feb. 19-20, he 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.

Kaur had been especially hard on Singh, he said, and he admitted to stabbing her during a confrontation at their West Creek Lane home on April 25, 2022. But Singh claimed he feared Kaur and his wife, identified in court as SK, would kill him first and he recalled stabbing Kaur twice, not 37 times, as prosecutors allege.

“My mind was locked. I don’t know what was happening,” Singh testified before Judge Kenneth Gnoss and a jury of eight men and eight women, including alternates.

Deputy District Attorney Jason Riehl spent much of Friday challenging Singh’s version of events and seeking clarification for testimony from Thursday. Often, Riehl had to repeat himself because Singh did not appear to understand his questions. Later, Singh answered other questions by reiterating he had no recollection of what happened.

“You don’t recall standing with Kuljeet at your feet and stabbing her?” Riehl asked.

“I don’t recall,” Singh responded through the interpreter.

Prosecutors say the attack began after Kaur confronted Singh about abusing her sister, to whom he had been married for just three months.

Investigators say Kaur was trying to convince her sister not to accompany Singh, a long-haul truck driver, on an upcoming trip. Singh, described as having a violent temper, had previously threatened to kill family members, investigators said.

Singh denied making any threats and said Kaur had been a controlling member of the family, forcing him to marrying her sister and threatening to tell police he was a rapist. He attempted to take his own life on his wedding day by consuming bleach, he said.

During the argument on April 25, 2022, Singh said he asked Kaur, “Why are you controlling everybody?”

He said he retrieved an 8-inch kitchen knife and handed it to Kaur after she said she wanted to stab him in his mouth. At some point, he said, SK grabbed him from behind and proclaimed she would not “spare him.” A fight over the knife ensued, leading to Singh stabbing Kaur in her stomach.

“Everything happened so quick,” Singh testified.

The confrontation escalated, moving from inside the home out into the street, where neighbors witnessed part of the attack. One of them testified this month he heard screams before finding “a very bloody” Kaur.

Responding officers found a bloody scene in and around the home, with surveillance footage and witness statements confirming that Kaur tried to defend herself. 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 attended a preliminary hearing in June 2023. Court proceedings stalled in April 2024 when Singh’s prior attorney questioned his mental competency. The matter was resolved Oct. 25 when he was ruled fit to stand trial.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com.