Convicted Fresno murderer says female jurors were unfair
"My jury trial was not fair," Harmanpreet Singh told the judge. "A lot of women, obviously, they (saw) my video crime..."
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A heated back-and-forth unfolded at the Fresno County Courthouse Thursday as a convicted murderer raised his hand to address the judge and spouted falsehoods about his trial.
"Because you all work together, you're supporting each other, you're not giving me my rights because I don't have (a) private attorney," Harmanpreet Singh said.
The man was in court to learn his sentence for a 2022 Clovis shooting.
Surveillance cameras captured the crime as investigators say Singh shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, Gurpreet Marahar.
Prosecutors say it was a case of domestic violence, and a county jury convicted Singh of murder and assault after eight days of trial in June.
But Singh calls it rigged because there were women on the jury.
"My jury trial was not fair," he said. "A lot of women, obviously, they (saw) my video crime. They don't know my situation," he said.
Singh went on for several minutes.
Instead of apologizing or asking for a lighter sentence, he criticized his female public defender.
The comments seemed to strike a nerve with the judge.
"Unless you have something you want to tell me about this case, maybe even the possibility of some remorse, other than that, you can have a seat, sir," Judge Alvin Harrell III said.
"Your honor, the jury is not random people," Singh said. "They don't know about laws."
"Sir, at this point, I'm going to have you sit down," the judge said.
The tense exchange happened just feet away from the victim's family.
In a letter to the court read by the prosecutor, they expressed the pain they still feel and asked the court for the maximum sentence.
"My sister's unbearable loss has traumatized all of us for the rest of our lives," Fresno County Chief Deputy District Attorney Deborah Miller read on behalf of the family.
"Her death was not due to a natural cause, but because she was murdered. That makes it even harder to accept."
The judge ultimately sentenced Singh to 50 years to life in prison and apologized to the victim's family for their loss.
If you are the victim of domestic abuse, or you know someone who is, there is help available 24/7. In Fresno County, call the Marjaree Mason Center at (559) 233-4357. In all other locations, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233.
For news updates, follow Gabe Ferris on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
