Rajinder has been accused of murdering Gurjit Singh in Dunedin in January last year. Photo: RNZ
The sister of a man accused of killing Dunedin's Gurjit Singh says he was not upset when he discovered the woman who rejected him had married Singh instead, a court has heard.
A 35-year-old, known only as Rajinder, is on trial at the High Court for the murder of Gurjit Singh.
Singh was found dead on the lawn of his home in January last year after being stabbed more than 40 times.
The High Court has heard of a complicated love triangle involving Singh, his widow Kamaljeet Kaur and Rajinder.
Kaur told the court on Tuesday that she rejected Rajinder in 2022 before marrying Singh the following year.
Rajinder's sister Harmeet Kaur said Kamaljeet Kaur's family approached her family twice about marrying her brother in 2022 but they rejected the proposal.
She found out about Singh and Kamaljeet Kaur's marriage in 2023 as a result of an Instagram post about the wedding when she was living with a mutual friend of Singh's - Harjit Kaur - in Auckland.
Harmeet Kaur told the court that she was shocked and called her brother. She told the court he was surprised but not upset, saying it was a small world.
A marriage broker had pushed for them to accept Kamaljeet Kaur, saying she wanted to go abroad, only for the woman's family to say she was not ready to leave India after a video call between Rajinder and the woman's father, Kaur said.
She said Rajinder was not upset when Gurjit Singh rejected a plan for him to marry his sister, because he accepted that she was too young.
Stevens asked Harmeet Kaur about her time living with her brother, father and Rajinder's wife in Dunedin from August 2023.
She said they enjoyed their time together and her brother's marriage appeared to be happy.
His wife spent about six months staying at home adjusting to New Zealand culture but they then went on long car rides, watched movies and cooked together.
Kaur said Rajinder also gave his wife driving lessons, usually later at night after work and dinner.
Harmeet Kaur told prosecutor Richard Smith that she called Rajinder after seeing Singh's wedding photo because he had received two proposals from Kamaljeet Kaur, only to be told she had changed her mind again about leaving India.
It had been a waste of time, Kaur said.
Police describe bloody crime scene
The jury was also played videos from officers at the murder scene today, showing blood stains on the ground, a wall, hand rail and other parts of the property, as well as a broken window.
A video of armed police entering the house showed them crunching through glass as they walked up steps to the front door.
A mobile phone and bloodied parcel were on the front porch.
Part of the path in front of the house was speckled with blood while jagged, blood-stained glass framed the broken window, with a partly torn curtain hanging outside, in photos shown to the jury.
The crime scene took about eight days to examine.
St John paramedic Cory White told the court he found a deep wound across Singh's throat that was "incompatible with life".
The trial is set down for three weeks.
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