Gurjit Singh at his home in Pine Hill.
A High Court jury in Dunedin has found 35-year-old Rajinder guilty of murdering Gurjit Singh.
The jury returned its verdict roughly 24 hours after retiring, including an overnight break.
Rajinder, who goes by a single name in court documents, stood emotionlessly facing Justice Rachel Dunningham as the verdict was read.
He will be sentenced on April 1 next year.
Singh, a well-known member of Dunedin’s Indian community, was found outside his Pine Hill home on January 26, 2024, with 46 stab or slash wounds and partially decapitated.
Outside court, Singh’s father, Nishan Singh, spoke through translator officer Saju Varghese.
He said his son had lived in Dunedin for many years and was “an honest and hard-working person” who supported their entire family.
“What has happened has been really terrible and I am very sad about it,” he said.
“But I’m really grateful to the New Zealand Police and to the Crown prosecution. They have shown good work and integrity and we are very happy with the result that has come out.”
Nishan Singh said the guilty verdict would not bring his son back, “but at least because he was found guilty, we are happy that justice has prevailed”.
He added: “Rajinder has ruined not just our life, but his family’s life as well. I just hope someday he confesses why he did it. That would give me more peace in life.”
He believed past rejected marriage proposals played a role in the attack.
“Because there was a marriage proposal ... and she rejected that proposal, I believe that may have made him react this way,” he said.
“We don’t know the exact reason, but this is what I believe.”
Speaking separately, Detective Sergeant Nik Leigh acknowledged the family’s pain and said the verdict followed a significant investigative effort.
“Obviously this isn’t going to bring Gurjit back. It was a tragic, senseless killing,” he said.
“But I do want to acknowledge the hard work of the investigation team. We had a lot of staff working on this and it’s got the right result.”
Leigh said the case was complex, with police “throwing everything at it”, including forensic scientists, specialist investigators and nearly 80 police staff throughout the inquiry.
“I think the investigation was certainly thorough and that’s reflected in the verdict,” he said.
Asked about potential motives, Leigh said that while the family had their own beliefs, “nobody can ever get into the head of a murderer when it happens”.
“I’ve got no idea why it’s occurred, but we’ve definitely got the right result,” he said.
The Crown alleged the killing was a targeted, premeditated attack fuelled by personal resentment and rejection.
The defence, however, claimed the Crown’s evidence was entirely circumstantial.
Crown prosecutor Richard Smith told the jury the attack was deliberate and not a burglary or theft gone wrong.
He described a violent struggle that began inside Singh’s home and moved through the lounge and sunroom before continuing on to an outdoor decking area.
Smith said Singh had returned from a pizza party with friends shortly before the confrontation and was attacked in a calculated and persistent manner.
He told the jury that Rajinder had previously been rejected by a woman whom Singh later married, and had also had a marriage proposal to Singh’s sister turned down.
Police evidence, Smith said, showed Rajinder purchased gloves and a knife before the killing and sustained injuries inconsistent with his explanations.
Blood from both Rajinder and Singh was found in Rajinder’s vehicle, supporting the Crown’s theory of his movements after the attack.
Defence counsel Anne Stevens, KC, told the jury the Crown’s case was entirely circumstantial.
She noted there was no confession, no witness to the murder and no proven motive.
Stevens argued the knife and gloves could have innocent explanations and said alternative possibilities existed, including that someone else committed the murder.
She suggested the Crown had pieced together multiple threads of evidence to form a narrative that did not necessarily prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Rajinder was remanded in custody until sentencing.
Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.