Trial begins for man accused of killing wife, fleeing to India

Did Avtar Grewal fly to Arizona from Canada to murder his wife in her Ahwatukee home, or was it all an accident? That question is the focus of the murder trial that began this week and is expected to last through the summer.

Grewal, 44, is accused of murdering Navneet Kaur in 2007 after she said she wanted a divorce, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutor Juan Martinez told the court Grewal left a letter confessing to the murder inside Kaur’s Ahwatukee home. However, Grewal’s lawyer, Jeffrey Kirchler, said “he didn’t intend to kill her.”

Grewal faces charges for first-degree murder and burglary.

According to police, he flew from Canada to Arizona, killed Kaur and then fled to India, where he is a citizen. He was arrested by international authorities and extradited back to the United States.

Long-distance from Ahwatukee to Vancouver

Grewal and Kaur met in the 1990s at a family party and reconnected in 2005 when they were both going through divorces, Kirchler said in opening statements. They became friends and would visit each other in Canada and Arizona.

“They enjoyed each other’s company,” Kirchler said.

Kaur owned a house in Ahwatukee and worked for Assist Technologies in Scottsdale.

Grewal lived in Vancouver, Canada, and worked for a company that delivers products to Starbucks.

At the encouragement of their families, the two married but continued to live apart. According to defense, Kaur was in the United States on a visa and was trying to get a green card, while Grewal was trying to become a citizen in Canada.

“This was going to be a long-distance relationship,” Kirchler said.

The defense attorney stated the two had problems in their relationship.

“For Avtar, when that phone would ring he was walking on eggshells not knowing where this was going to go,” Kirchler told the court.

Kirchler said Grewal would often fly to Phoenix when the two had a disagreement, just to talk.

Asking for a divorce

Around the time of her murder, Kaur told Grewal she wanted a divorce. Grewal flew to Phoenix and his wife picked him up from the airport.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys disagree on why Grewal came to Phoenix.

Kirchler said Grewal came to Phoenix to talk to his wife, as he’d done before.

Grewal told Kaur to call their parents to inform them of her wishes, but she refused. That led to an argument, according to the defense.

Kirchler said the argument escalated to the two slapping each other. Then, Kaur kicked Grewal in the groin. At some point, Kaur fell to the ground and hit her head against a table, according to the defense.

However, prosecutors said Grewal choked his wife until she was unconscious. Martinez didn’t mention the two physically fighting or whether Kaur received a head injury.

A trail of blood was found inside the house leading to a bathroom, according to prosecutors. Grewal put Kaur’s body in the bathtub and submerged her, according to opening statements.

Grewal’s arrest made international news and his trial is expected to draw some public attention as well. Grewal’s attorneys sought to keep

cameras out of the courtroom. According to court records, Grewal has mental health issues and is being housed in the mental health unit at a jail. Defense attorneys attempted to argue that cameras would further impact Grewal’s mental health.

The judge sided with the media and allowed the trial to be photographed.