MEDIA COURTHOUSE — An Upper Darby man accused of strangling his wife in an alleged suicide pact pleaded guilty last week to a single charge of third-degree murder, a felony of the first degree.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Gurinder Singh, 53, and Jaswinder Kaur, 47, of the first block of Winfield Avenue, were found fully clothed in their bed on the afternoon of Feb. 22 by their son, who had received voicemails form his father to come home. The husband and wife had scarves tied tightly around their necks, which the son untied before calling 911, according to the affidavit.
Jaswinder Kaur was pronounced dead at the scene and Singh was transported to Delaware County Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Assistant District Attorney Sam Yim indicated at a preliminary hearing that he would be prosecuting Singh for first and third degree murder based on bruises found on the dead woman, which pointed to signs of a struggle.
As Judge James Nilon explained to Singh during the Dec. 4 hearing, Yim would have to show that Singh had killed his wife with malice to prevail on the third degree murder charge to which he was pleading.
Singh, a soft-spoken man, said he understood and wished to continue with his plea. Under the agreement worked out by Yim and Scott Kramer, sentencing will not go outside the standard range of 90 to 240 months. Both sides are expected to present evidence at that hearing, scheduled for Jan. 23.
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