Tracy police reopen probe of Sikh grandfather’s 2019 killing after judge throws out case
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Tracy police have reopened their investigation into the killing of a Sikh man last year after a San Joaquin County judge threw out the case earlier this month for lack of evidence.
Parmjit Singh’s fatal stabbing in August 2019 is an open homicide investigation, Tracy Police Lt. Miguel Contreras told The Sacramento Bee Friday morning.
Singh was 64 years old when he was stabbed to death in August 2019 while beginning his evening walk from his neighborhood to Tracy’s Gretchen Talley Park.
A popular presence at the park, Singh was a recent immigrant to the U.S., coming to California in 2016 to study irrigation systems, his family told Sacramento television station CBS13 at the time.
In the days after Singh’s fatal stabbing, security camera footage of Singh’s final walk and a man running through the same area where Singh was killed provided important clues and an arrest: Anthony Kreiter-Rhoads, 22, was identified as the sprinting man seen in the video.
Rhoads was in San Joaquin County custody for more than a year in connection with Singh’s killing before a San Joaquin Superior Court judge released the man on insufficient evidence.
Singh’s killing and the October dismissal shook the Sikh community, which has called loudly for justice in the case, demanding U.S. Department of Justice officials join the investigation and determine whether the Tracy grandfather’s slaying was a hate crime.
“All of the indications of a possible race or religious hate motive are present in this case, but prosecutors and police should have cast a wider net for proof,” Jasmit Singh of the national advocacy group United Sikhs said in a statement this week. The group has reached out to state and federal officials. “We stand against hate of any kind but especially when one of the most vulnerable members of our community is taken in a cowardly and senseless attack.”
Police Lt. Contreras said investigators are working in concert with San Joaquin County District Attorney’s investigators to uncover more evidence in the case.
In a statement Friday, San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber-Salazar thanked Tracy police for continuing its probe and called on the community to come forward with any information that could help investigators find Singh’s killer.
“We appreciate the efforts of the Tracy Police Department to continue the investigation into the senseless killing of Parmjit Singh. We are asking the community to reflect upon anything they may have seen or heard on the night of August 25, 2019,” Salazar said. “No matter how insignificant it may seem, it may prove critical in ensuring justice for Mr. Singh’s family.”
Tracy Police Chief Sekou Millington and Verber-Salazar met with Parmjit Singh’s family after the court decision, Contreras said.
“We’re definitely in touch with the family, first and foremost,” Contreras said. “It’s a priority for our department. It’s a No. 1 priority. It always has been.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 10:35 AM.
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