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More than 12 years after Avtar Grewal allegedly killed his wife and fled to India, 63 potential jurors packed into a small courtroom on West Jefferson Street. Monday's jury selection marked the start of Grewal's long-awaited trial following his extradition from India and years of back-and-forth motions, status conferences, and hearings delaying the case.
It also marked the beginning of another months-long, high-profile murder case for Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Juan Martinez, who has been the subject of at least seven bar complaints in the past four years. Many of the complaints involve Martinez's actions during the trial of Jodi Arias, who was convicted of the first-degree murder of her boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in May 2013.
[.....]
On March 30, 2007, Grewal allegedly brutally murdered his wife, 30-year-old Navneet Kaur, at her home in Phoenix. Grewal's arranged marriage with Kaur was a strained one. According to detectives, Kaur's friends said she was scared of Grewal and that though the couple lived apart (Grewal lived in Canada), he tried to control her every move. When she tried to file for divorce, he flew down to Phoenix and allegedly stabbed, suffocated, bludgeoned, and drowned her, then tried to kill himself, but failed.
[.....]
Of the 63 potential jurors, two were immediately eliminated because they said they could not fluently understand or speak English. When Judge Dean Fink asked who is unable to serve due to pre-existing travel arrangements, health issues, being a dependent's primary caregiver, or other serious conflicts, nearly every hand in the room shot up.
[.....]
Grewal has pleaded not guilty. Martinez sought the death penalty in the case, but in 2016, Judge Dean Fink ruled under seal that the death penalty be dropped.
Since Grewal was extradited to the United States, his attorneys have argued that prosecutors violated his constitutional rights when federal agents seized three binders of docum.
[.....]
His attorneys have also alleged that Grewal is not competent to stand trial. Though a prior judge refused their request to transfer Grewal to a psychiatric hospital in Mesa, it appears Grewal's alleged mental health problems did play a role in the current judge, Judge Fink's, decision to drop the death penalty. Grewal did file a rambling, incoherent pro se lawsuit from prison alleging that his attorneys weren't helping him, that he was losing his mind, and that he's being denied his right to practice his religion, which he says is the only thing that keeps him sane.
Juan Martinez Still Prosecuting Murder Cases Despite Seven Misconduct Complaints
A lot more in article.
It also marked the beginning of another months-long, high-profile murder case for Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Juan Martinez, who has been the subject of at least seven bar complaints in the past four years. Many of the complaints involve Martinez's actions during the trial of Jodi Arias, who was convicted of the first-degree murder of her boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in May 2013.
[.....]
On March 30, 2007, Grewal allegedly brutally murdered his wife, 30-year-old Navneet Kaur, at her home in Phoenix. Grewal's arranged marriage with Kaur was a strained one. According to detectives, Kaur's friends said she was scared of Grewal and that though the couple lived apart (Grewal lived in Canada), he tried to control her every move. When she tried to file for divorce, he flew down to Phoenix and allegedly stabbed, suffocated, bludgeoned, and drowned her, then tried to kill himself, but failed.
[.....]
Of the 63 potential jurors, two were immediately eliminated because they said they could not fluently understand or speak English. When Judge Dean Fink asked who is unable to serve due to pre-existing travel arrangements, health issues, being a dependent's primary caregiver, or other serious conflicts, nearly every hand in the room shot up.
[.....]
Grewal has pleaded not guilty. Martinez sought the death penalty in the case, but in 2016, Judge Dean Fink ruled under seal that the death penalty be dropped.
Since Grewal was extradited to the United States, his attorneys have argued that prosecutors violated his constitutional rights when federal agents seized three binders of docum.
[.....]
His attorneys have also alleged that Grewal is not competent to stand trial. Though a prior judge refused their request to transfer Grewal to a psychiatric hospital in Mesa, it appears Grewal's alleged mental health problems did play a role in the current judge, Judge Fink's, decision to drop the death penalty. Grewal did file a rambling, incoherent pro se lawsuit from prison alleging that his attorneys weren't helping him, that he was losing his mind, and that he's being denied his right to practice his religion, which he says is the only thing that keeps him sane.
Juan Martinez Still Prosecuting Murder Cases Despite Seven Misconduct Complaints
A lot more in article.
