Jaitsen Singh to serve life in Netherlands after 42 years in U.S. prison for 2 murders
Jaitsen Singh, the 81-year-old Dutchman convicted in California in 1986 for instigating the murders of his wife and stepdaughter, will also serve a life sentence in the Netherlands, the Amsterdam court ruled. The American court sentenced the man to a term of 56 years to life. The Amsterdam court converted that to a life sentence in the Netherlands.
Singh was extradited to the Netherlands in March after serving 42 years in prison in the Netherlands. Last month, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) recommended that his American sentence be commuted to a life sentence in the Netherlands. Singh’s lawyer, Rachel Imamkhan, asked the court to suspend his detention because the elderly man is seriously ill.
The court followed the OM’s recommendation. The Amsterdam court’s ruling was not on whether or not Singh was guilty, but to convert the American sentence to one that works under Dutch law. The American court found Singh guilty of instigating the murders of his wife and stepdaughter on August 27, 1983, acts that are also considered among the most serious crimes in the Netherlands, the Amsterdam court ruled.
“His actions led to the brutal killing of two women, one of whom was a minor,” the court said. “He acted in a planned and calculated manner. He increased life insurance coverage, approached one or more persons regarding the murders, gave them instructions, and provided himself with an alibi. By Dutch standards as well, a life sentence is appropriate given the gravity of these facts.”
The court rejected the lawyer’s request to release Singh, pointing out that he has other options for release. In the Netherlands, people serving life imprisonment can initiate a review procedure for early release after 25 years. As Singh has already served 42 years in the U.S., he is eligible for such a procedure.
The court also pointed out that Singh has no social network outside of his sister, is not rooted in Dutch society, and also currently does not have health insurance. “The court is of the opinion that, quite apart from the man’s medical situation, the fact that he has already spent more than half his life incarcerated means that he cannot return to society without thorough preparation and guidance.” That resocialization “cannot take place in any other way than within the framework of a life sentence,” the court said.
Singh’s wife and stepdaughter were murdered in their home in Ontario in August 1983. Their bodies were later found in Los Angeles in the trunk of the woman’s car. Singh has been in prison since April 10, 1984. He has always denied any involvement in the murders.
