Sacto 9-1-1

The Sacramento Bee's Crime blog is a comprehensive report of crime news, trends and information for your community and beyond.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies have arrested four relatives of the fugitive suspect in Sunday's fatal shooting at a sports festival for allegedly aiding and abetting his escape.

Amandeep Singh Dhami, who is wanted in connection with the slaying, is believed to be in Canada, the FBI said earlier this week.

On Friday, deputies arrested Dhami's father, 50-year-old Balbir Dhami, and cousin, 29-year-old Bhupinder Chahal, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran.

On Thursday, deputies also arrested Chahal's wife, 28-year-old Harpreet Kaur, and Amandeep Dhami's sister-in-law, 27-year-old Rajvir Kaur, Curran said.

Dhami, a 24-year-old felon on probation for weapons-related charges, is believed to be one of two men responsible for the death of a 26-year-old man at the Gurmukh Singh Johal Memorial Tournament on Bradshaw Road, Curran said.

Parmit Singh Pamma was gunned down among throngs of people, some of whom turned on the gunmen with cricket bats and hockey sticks in hand.

Dhami escaped, while his suspected accomplice, Gurpreet Singh Gosal, was held by members of the crowd. When deputies arrived, they arrested Gosal, 24, on suspicion of murder.

Curran said one of the female suspects arrested was at the sporting complex Saturday and helped Dhami flee by giving him keys to a vehicle. The three other relatives "facilitated his flight from his apprehension," Curran said.

The shooting apparently stemmed from a longstanding feud, relatives said.

According to an FBI affidavit filed Wednesday, a Dhami family acquaintance told federal authorities Dhami fled to Canada. The affidavit was accompanied by a criminal complaint charging Dhami with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

But Curran said sheriff's detectives still are not sure of his whereabouts.

"There's nothing that leads us to believe right now he's in Canada," he said.

If convicted, the family members could face up to a $5,000 fine, imprisonment for up to one year or both.

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Sacto 9-1-1 Q&A

Q: What happened to the killer of Martin Fischalek?


A: Robert Doyle Bratton was sentenced on Jan. 3, 1990, to 25 years to life in prison for the slaying of Martin Fischalek, according to Sacramento Superior Court records.

A Sacramento Superior Court on jury on Aug. 18, 1989, convicted Bratton on four murder and robbery charges in the slaying of Fischalek, his 59-year-old neighbor.

Fischalek was beaten and stabbed to death during a robbery in his Vista Avenue home in south Sacramento County.

Bratton was 17 when the crimes occurred Aug. 2, 1988, but was ordered to be tried as an adult because of the nature of the crimes. Although the charges[ included the special circumstances required for a capital-punishment case, Bratton was protected by law from the capital charges faced by an adult.

During the two-week trial, the prosecution painted a picture of a ruthless killer who needed drug money and ended up beating Fischalek with the leg of a wooden chair and slashing his throat with a kitchen knife. The dead man's stereo, wallet and car were taken.

Fischalek's body was found Aug. 4, 1988, by two of his fellow mechanics who went to check on him when he failed to show up for work at the Niello auto dealerships on Arden Way.

Perhaps the most crucial evidence against Bratton was a tape recording of a conversation he had with a man who struck a deal with investigators to tape his meeting with the suspect.

The jury listened to the recorded discussion of details Williamson described as things that could be known only by the killer.


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