3 lengthy trials set for 2024; 2 are capital cases
Gurpreet Singh, Robbi Robinson and John Carter have trial dates.
Three lengthy trials — two with defendants facing the death penalty if convicted and the other that has received national spotlight — are scheduled for 2024 in Butler County.
Retrial of Gurpreet Singh
The retrial of Gurpreet Singh, accused of the 2019 West Chester Twp. killing of his wife and three family members, is scheduled to begin April 29. If convicted, Singh faces the death penalty.
Singh and his third defense team were in Butler County Common Pleas Court in November, where the 41-year-old waived his right to a jury trial in the capital murder trial that is expected to last three weeks.
In October 2023, the jury in Singh’s first case was hung after nearly two weeks of testimony and 14 hours of deliberation. Judge Greg Howard declared a mistrial when the jury indicated it was hung and did not believe any further deliberations would serve a useful purpose.
A death penalty case before a three-judge panel is a rarity. The last one in Butler County was 13 years ago when Greg Osie of West Chester Twp. was convicted by a panel consisting of Judges Noah Powers, Charles Pater and Patricia Oney of aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence for stabbing David Williams to death Feb. 14, 2009.
After the October 2023 mistrial, Singh’s retained attorneys from Rittgers and Rittgers law firm were permitted to withdraw from his case, indicating Singh could no longer pay them. Howard then appointed Washington and Evans, who have specialized training in capital cases, to represent Singh.
Singh represented to the court he was indigent when seeking public funds for experts before his first trial after paying the defense team $250,000. Following the mistrial, he received court-appointed attorneys after indicating he remained indigent.
Months later, Singh was able to retain the latest defense team.
The former truck driver is charged with four counts of aggravated murder for allegedly shooting and killing his wife, Shalinderjit Kaur, 39; his in-laws, Hakikat Singh Pannag, 59, and Parmjit Kaur, 62; and his aunt-in-law, Amarjit Kaur, 58, at a West Chester Twp. apartment on April 28, 2019.
He remains housed in the Butler County Jail without bond.
Robbi Robinson has trial in August
A second capital murder trial is slated to begin Aug. 26 in Butler County Common Pleas Judge Keith Speath’s courtroom for Robbi Robinson who is accused of setting a woman on fire and killing her at her Fairfield Twp. home.
Robinson, 24, is charged with aggravated murder, aggravated arson and felonious assault for the May 11 incident on Arroyo Ridge Court. Robinson was arrested as he attempted to leave the scene on Arroyo Ridge Court.
The victim, Brenda Scott, died of her injuries a few weeks later. Robinson faces the death penalty if convicted.
Robinson, who is being held in lieu of a $1 million bond, was originally scheduled for trial in February 2023 but the defense team requested a continuance, stating investigations and reports from a forensic psychologist, mitigation specialist and investigator would not be completed in enough time to prepare for trial.
Prosecutors say Robinson filled a container with accelerant, took it to an upstairs bedroom, doused the 50-year-old woman with it and lit her on fire.