Mistrial declared in quadruple murder case as jury deadlocks
Oct 21, 2022, 12:04 AM | Updated: 12:05 pm
WEST CHESTER, Ohio (AP) — The murder trial of an Ohio man accused of fatally shooting four members of his family, including his wife, ended in a mistrial Friday after the jury said it could not reach a unanimous verdict.
The ruling came shortly after Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Greg Howard had rejected a mistrial motion made by lawyers for Gurpreet Singh. They cited potential misconduct by two jurors who were reportedly arguing loudly with each other during deliberations and calling each other names.
After Howard rejected that request, he gave the jury a form to complete. It had two options: Continue deliberating or decide that further deliberations would not do any good. The jury chose the latter option a short time later.
Singh, 40, was facing four counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of his wife, her parents and her aunt in West Chester in April 2019. If convicted, he could have faced the death penalty.
When asked if the state would seek a new trial, Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser replied: “Yes, hell yes.” Singh’s lawyers did not immediately comment on the mistrial ruling.
A hearing on the case was scheduled for Nov. 1.
Defense lawyers had cited the lack of blood found on Singh’s clothing, arguing there were other suspects that authorities had not fully investigated. Prosecutors had said Singh was motivated by financial issues, an extramarital affair and hatred toward his father-in-law.
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