Merced woman allegedly killed by husband had wounds consistent with beating, report says

A Merced woman found dead in her home last week had head injuries that were consistent with being beaten.

That’s among the latest details included in a police investigative report into the death of Gurpreet Kaur. Merced police concluded she was a victim of homicide after she was found dead inside her Alviso Drive home on April 9.

The information’s significant because police have said there was a history of domestic violence between Kaur and her husband Harkirat Singh, 34.

Singh was arrested April 9 and the Merced County District Attorney’s Office charged him with first degree murder Thursday. His arraignment hearing’s scheduled for Tuesday.

According to the police report, after the Merced County Coroner inspected Kaur’s body, the preliminary cause of death appeared to be blunt-impact injuries to her head. Plus, she had injuries consistent with being beaten by a metal rod.

The report reveals some of the statements Singh made during interviews with detectives, where he denied killing his wife.

Singh told police he had asked a relative to give him a ride to Modesto on April 9 to sell a trailer. He said that person picked him up in the parking lot of Staples on West Olive Avenue, because he was getting a massage in the area.

Singh told detectives he and the relative then decided to get something to eat before going to Modesto. At that point they then went back to the Alviso Drive home, because they were going to ask Kaur whether she wanted them to pick up something to eat.

When they got back to the house, according to Singh’s statements to police, they found Kaur unconscious on the floor of a bedroom, bleeding profusely from the head, and cold to the touch.

Police wrote in the report that they didn’t believe Singh was being truthful with them. Detectives noted in the report that Singh also recounted having a fight with his wife over some car keys — though he didn’t seem sad or emotional during the interview.

Kaur and Singh’s 3-month-old baby was found in the house and has since been placed with Child Protective Services.

A troubled marriage?

During interviews with police, Kaur’s relative said the couple had a previous history of domestic violence where officers had gotten involved, according to the report.

A friend of Kaur’s told police she had moved to the United States from India years ago, around the time she got married, and briefly worked at Turmeric Indian Cuisine in Merced.

She then left the job because Singh told her he didn’t want her to work at the restaurant anymore. Still, she stayed in touch with the man she formerly worked for and told him Singh was physically abusive towards her and didn’t treat her well.

Singh remains at the Merced County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

This story was originally published April 15, 2022 at 12:02 PM.