NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Santa Rosa, CA., March 8, 2026: A Santa Rosa man has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the brutal stabbing death of his sister-in-law following a violent confrontation at their home, authorities said.
After four days of deliberations, a jury of five women and seven men on Tuesday convicted Varinder Singh in Sonoma County Superior Court of killing the woman during a 2022 attack that began inside the family residence and spilled out into the neighborhood. Prosecutors said Singh stabbed the victim 37 times with an 8-inch kitchen knife.
The verdict was delivered before Judge Kenneth Gnoss, as Singh sat silently in the courtroom with his head lowered.
In addition to the murder conviction, jurors also found Singh guilty of a misdemeanor count of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse, stemming from violence that occurred during the same domestic dispute.
According to prosecutors, the fatal confrontation erupted during a family argument inside the home where Singh lived with relatives. Authorities said the altercation escalated rapidly, with Singh repeatedly stabbing his sister-in-law before the struggle moved outside, where neighbors witnessed parts of the attack.
During the trial, Singh acknowledged that he had stabbed the woman but claimed he acted in self-defense, telling jurors he feared for his life during the confrontation. Prosecutors rejected that claim, arguing the severity of the attack — including the number of stab wounds — showed the killing was intentional and not an act of self-defense.
The case had been delayed for several years due to questions about Singh’s mental competency, which had to be resolved before the trial could proceed.
By returning a verdict of second-degree murder, jurors concluded the killing was intentional but not premeditated.
Singh now faces a potential sentence of 15 years to life in prison under California law when he returns to court for sentencing.
