Vijay Kumar, of Indian descent, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife and three other relatives in Georgia earlier this year.
Indian man Vijay Kumar, accused of killing his wife Meenu Dogra and three other relatives after a heated argument in Georgia earlier this year, has pleaded not guilty to the murders and his lawyer has defended the act as a “tragic case of self-defense”.
The petition was filed during a recent court appearance. The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office disputes defense claims that Kumar acted in self-defense during the incident.During the court proceedings, the judge formally requested a guilty plea. “Mrs. Merchant, how is your client?” The judge asked. “Not guilty,” responded Ashley Merchant, the defense attorney representing Vijay Kumar. The dealer said that Vijay Kumar is innocent and that the case is a case of self-defence.
“He is in fact innocent. This is the case we plan to present to you and present throughout this case as a case of innocence.”
“It’s a tragic case of self-defense,” Merchant said.The defense filed a motion for a bail hearing alleging a “long campaign of threats, blackmail and violence by his wife’s family.” Merchant explained that she is referring to “only a select few of the wife’s family” in these allegations.
Apart from Meenu Dogra, the others who were killed by Kumar were Nidhi Chander, Harish Chander and Gaurav Kumar.In the hearing application, the defense also claimed that on the night of the incident, Gaurav Kumar forced Vijay Kumar to leave his house without his phone or coat. The motion stated that Vijay Kumar was physically pushed into Chander’s residence. She described the home as the place where he was said to have feared for his life after months of threats, armed intimidation and financial blackmail.The defense motion also cited the “retracted testimony of his minor daughter” to support the claim that Vijay Kumar acted with reasonable fear for his life.Merchant also described her client as a person with no criminal history. “He has about 150 people here and 100 letters of support. He works in a very highly regulated, very visible industry,” Merchant said.On the night of January 23, a quarrel broke out between Kumar and others and shooting began in the presence of children. One of the children called 911 and called the police.On the night of January 23, a quarrel broke out between Kumar and others and shooting began in the presence of children. One of the children called 911 and called the police. Since his arrest, Kumar has remained in detention.