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DETETIVE AMERICANO COM JOE KENDA (T4 EP1) (1)
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00:06Brand new, on the case with Paula Zahn.
00:09Thursday, on ID.
00:30A 911 call comes in, reporting a residential house fire.
00:40Their flames are 30 feet in the air.
00:44It had a attached garage.
00:47We didn't see a vehicle, but we always prepare that there could be someone home.
00:51Chief Dan Misak sends his team inside to put off the fire.
00:56And they're immediately overcome by black smoke.
01:00Making everything almost invisible.
01:06But through the thick black smoke,
01:09they see something in the living room that no firefighter wants to see.
01:15I could just see them bringing a body out.
01:17Almost looks like a mannequin just being brought out.
01:20Her medics come forward and try to resuscitate her,
01:23but she is in fact deceased.
01:26Nothing stood out about the fire.
01:28It seemed like an everyday run to us.
01:30But what it turned out to be in the end was definitely a twist and a turn.
01:34A lot of murderers are emotional when they take a look.
01:40Not him.
01:42He didn't feel anything.
01:43Because he's cold as ice.
01:46Somewhere is the guy who killed this woman.
01:50Let's find him and burn him to the ground.
01:52I spent my career closing murder cases.
02:01But I'm not the only one who answered the call.
02:06It takes a rare breed to solve the unsolvable.
02:10To catch a ruthless killer.
02:13To find justice for the dead.
02:18That's what it takes to be an American detective.
02:23My name is Mike Danowitz and I'm a retired lieutenant with the prosecutor's office in Middlesex County, New Jersey.
02:37Originally, I was an officer with the sheriff's department and I really became fascinated with the investigative process.
02:44In the homicide unit, when your victim dies, their opportunity to tell their story dies with them.
02:49That's now your job.
02:52That's your responsibility.
02:54I've had a lot of cases with Detective Danowitz.
02:57He put the work in.
02:59He never shied away from, you know, getting his hands dirty and doing what needed to be done.
03:04He was dedicated.
03:07So in 2011, I was on call the week of Valentine's Day.
03:12And I get a call in the late afternoon, early evening that there was a fire in Avenel and a resident of the home had died.
03:22So they asked him to go to the fire scene and see if there's something there.
03:31Danowitz arrives at the scene of this fire and he is told that the fire was confined to the living room area.
03:38They discovered a person in that area on the floor.
03:42The victim was identified as Ballwinder Carr.
03:47She was a resident of the house.
03:50She's 44 years old.
03:52She is Indian.
03:53She is married and is the mother of two children.
03:56One 17-year-old boy and one 20-something girl.
04:01And she is the only resident in the house at the time the fire occurred.
04:05My mom is from North India, Punjab.
04:09She went to school and did a little bit of farming.
04:12Life back then was really hard for them.
04:14They were very poor.
04:16Ballwinder Carr has emigrated to this country with her husband to seek the American dream.
04:24My parents came here in like 1990, had me, my brother.
04:30My dad was a chef at a restaurant.
04:32Then eventually he partnered up with his brother and his cousin and bought a Indian restaurant in the city.
04:39And he also partnered up with one of his friends and got two to three gas stations over time.
04:44They came here and built that business up.
04:48So very hardworking people, very hardworking people.
04:51We lived in Elmhurst, Queens.
04:53Then when I turned 20, we moved to New Jersey.
04:58It was part of my mom's dream.
04:59She wanted to buy a brand new house.
05:01The biggest reason why I believe they came to America is for us.
05:05They knew that if they have kids, they have a better opportunity in America than they would have in India.
05:10And we did.
05:14So at that point, it was decided we were going to do a scene assessment and evaluation.
05:18We walked through the entire home.
05:20It was a hot fire, mostly located in the living room.
05:26The drywall contained it, but the contents of the home were severely damaged.
05:30Danowitz looks around this house.
05:33It's in perfect order.
05:35There's no evidence of a search or being ransacked in a burglary.
05:39There was no forced entry.
05:41The door was open.
05:43There was no other windows or doors broken into.
05:46Could this be an accident?
05:49Of course.
05:51Is it one?
05:52Well, that's what we're here to find out.
05:56There was nothing just standing out that would have caused this fire.
05:59We had the state fire marshal come in with a canine.
06:04And there was no indication that there was any sort of accelerant used to start this fire.
06:10Danowitz has seen these scenes many times.
06:13And he feels that there's just something odd about this one.
06:17He can't put his finger on it.
06:20If it's an accident, that's one thing.
06:22If it's an arson, it's someone who knows what they're doing.
06:25Firefighters were describing to us how she was located
06:30in the center of the living room,
06:33in close proximity to the front door.
06:36People have two natural fears
06:38that have been instinctively placed in you for thousands of years.
06:43Every human is afraid of animals
06:46and every human is afraid of fire.
06:51Fires begin.
06:52People run away
06:54as fast as they can
06:57to include jumping through a closed window if necessary.
07:01It's a fear-driven response.
07:05It's flight
07:06from afar.
07:07You've got to run away
07:08and people do
07:10unless you're incapable of so doing.
07:13Why was this woman
07:14not able to get out of her living room?
07:17Did she, you know,
07:18get disoriented in the smoke
07:20and not know where the front door was?
07:22None of it really quite made sense at that point.
07:24But when they analyze the floor,
07:28they find something that might explain what happened here.
07:33There's a distinct pattern on the floor
07:35that did not burn where the body had been found.
07:37tells us the victim was there
07:40on the ground prior to the fire
07:43taking over the entire room.
07:44Why are you there
07:47before anybody ignites anything?
07:50Is this a murder?
07:53Danowitz is hopeful
07:54that the coroner's going to have an answer for him
07:56as to what this is.
07:57She was burned pretty bad.
08:03Her facial features were very, um, distorted.
08:07Ninety percent third-degree burns,
08:09they don't look human.
08:11They look like something else entirely.
08:13It is the nature of homicide investigation
08:18to see things that you can never unsee.
08:23And I truly wish
08:25I could unsee
08:26everything I've ever seen.
08:29When speaking with the medical examiner,
08:31we learned that Valwinder's hand
08:33had a surface scratch
08:34and it opened up or gaped, as we would say,
08:37because her body was exposed to high heat.
08:40She had no soot in her nose.
08:41She had no soot in her lungs.
08:43So she was absolutely deceased
08:44before, you know, the fire was set.
08:46When examining the neck area,
08:51he discovers evidence of deep bruising
08:53in the neck muscles.
08:55But if you grip the neck
08:56with the intent of applying force,
09:00your thumb is in the front of the throat
09:02and four fingers are behind,
09:05exactly where the bruises are in our victim.
09:08That's an indication of manual strangulation.
09:14I was like, are you kidding me?
09:15Whoever killed Valwinder
09:17set the contents of this home on fire
09:19in an effort to destroy her body
09:21and to put up the fake guys
09:22that this was an accident.
09:23She accidentally died in a house fire.
09:26Only a monster would do that.
09:28We're in a very quiet area.
09:30So to find something like this
09:31to happen in one of our fires
09:33was very shocking.
09:34The next question is
09:35who would do such a thing?
09:36Who does this?
09:37At that point, you know, it's go time.
09:45The key in any homicide investigation
09:48is tell me about the victim.
09:52So we began there.
09:54Closest people to the victim.
09:57Valwinder's daughter, Capri,
09:59was away at college at the time
10:00and she had to have a ride
10:03from a family member
10:04to bring her back to New Jersey.
10:07I remember sitting with Mike
10:09and my brother and my dad were there
10:10and he told us that my mom was murdered
10:13and I just stared at him
10:15and I was shocked
10:16and I'm like,
10:16what are you talking about?
10:20Definitely like the worst thing
10:21that I've ever experienced in my life.
10:23They were devastated,
10:28very devastated.
10:29Capri became pretty much
10:31the spokesperson of the liaison
10:32between the family and myself.
10:36So my dad, he was just numb.
10:39And my brother,
10:40he was just out of it.
10:41He just didn't want to be
10:42anywhere near the house
10:43or with us.
10:46So I couldn't break down
10:47because if I did,
10:48who was going to lead?
10:51To face the emotional torture
10:53of the loss of her mother
10:54and still try to help the police
10:56find out who's responsible
10:57for this crime,
10:58that's a very brave thing
11:00for a 20-year-old girl to do.
11:02Mike Danovitz,
11:04he had told me when I met him
11:05that he would treat this case
11:07as if he was doing this
11:08for his own mother.
11:10And it actually felt like
11:11he was on our team
11:12trying to find
11:13who did this to my mom.
11:15Those words motivate me.
11:17You made a promise to that family,
11:18I'm going to do
11:19what I got to do here.
11:21The big question was,
11:22who does she know
11:23that would want to do
11:24something like this to her?
11:26Everyone has the ability
11:28to take a human life.
11:30That includes
11:31your loving mother,
11:33your loving daughter.
11:35All they require
11:36is the proper motivation.
11:40There are no relationships
11:42that are significant
11:43when murder becomes involved.
11:45So you have to inquire
11:47as a homicide detective
11:49among those closest
11:51to the victim,
11:52members of the own family.
11:54It's very, very difficult.
11:56It results in major confrontations.
12:00People are infuriated
12:02that you suspect them
12:03of killing the victim
12:06or causing their loved one
12:08to be dead.
12:10And it can be very ugly.
12:11I've done it many times.
12:14And it gets out of control
12:15pretty quick.
12:16But it has to be done.
12:19We spoke with
12:20Val Winder's husband
12:21and he was in Manhattan
12:22at the time of this fire.
12:24There was no reason
12:25to suspect him of anything.
12:27He's out.
12:29The daughter
12:29is away at college
12:30during the time frame
12:31of the murder.
12:32But there's someone else
12:34that lives in this house.
12:36He's 17 years old.
12:38His name is DP.
12:40So I then spoke
12:42with Val Winder's son.
12:46And I've got to press him
12:47a little bit.
12:48And I have to ask him
12:48questions and find out
12:49and get a feel for
12:50what was this relationship like.
12:52It's not easy,
12:53but it has to be done.
12:55As a homicide detective,
12:57you have to become heartless.
12:59Your mission
13:00is to find out
13:01who took a life.
13:02If I'm not pushing you,
13:04I'm not doing my job.
13:05Um, so my brother
13:07was actually the last person
13:08to see my mom
13:09before all of this happened.
13:11He said,
13:12my mom was home alone
13:13when I left at 3 o'clock.
13:15And she was fine.
13:16The house was fine.
13:16She was making dinner
13:17for my dad.
13:19Danowitz says,
13:20so yesterday afternoon,
13:21the fire alarm
13:22came in at 4.49 p.m.
13:25Where were you
13:26at 4.49 p.m.?
13:28And his reply is,
13:30I don't know.
13:32Excuse me.
13:33His story isn't adding up.
13:35Danowitz is faced
13:36with a kid
13:37who's lying his keister off.
13:39So it's time
13:40to push all the way.
13:43Tunneling down
13:43a little bit
13:44on the conversation.
13:45Come to find out
13:45he was meeting
13:46a young lady
13:47from outside
13:48of their culture.
13:49And that might not
13:50have been something
13:50that was acceptable
13:51back at home.
13:52So he was a little bit
13:53of afraid of exposing
13:53himself to that.
13:55In our culture,
13:57we are not allowed
13:57to date or have
13:58boyfriends and girlfriends.
14:00Before I went to college,
14:01I could not even tell my mom
14:02that I had a guy friend.
14:03not a boyfriend,
14:04just a friend.
14:05I couldn't tell her.
14:06So he has a terrific
14:07reason to lie.
14:12He said that he had
14:13left about 3 o'clock
14:14to go meet a girl
14:16from high school.
14:16We met with the young girl
14:20and, in fact,
14:21it checked out.
14:23So it's not DP,
14:25then who is?
14:30I needed to determine,
14:32is there something
14:32missing from the home?
14:34Was there, you know,
14:35a theft involved?
14:36I mean, this was
14:37a beautiful home,
14:38beautifully furnished,
14:39nice cars in the driveway.
14:40The 20-year-old daughter,
14:42Gupreet,
14:43she volunteers
14:44to do the walkthrough
14:45with Danowitz.
14:48When we walked
14:49into our house,
14:50everything was just black.
14:52Like, there was
14:53soot all over.
14:54Even, like,
14:55just talking about it,
14:56I remember the smell.
14:57It was just,
14:58I never want
15:00to smell that again.
15:01Danowitz asked her
15:02the question,
15:03does your mother
15:04always keep the door locked?
15:06Gupreet says,
15:07absolutely.
15:09She was very, like,
15:10skeptical about things.
15:12She wouldn't even
15:12open the door
15:13for a person
15:13she didn't know.
15:16That's a very
15:17important point
15:18that narrows
15:20the field
15:20of suspects dramatically
15:22if she willingly
15:24opened the door.
15:26She explained that,
15:27you know,
15:28there really wasn't
15:28a lot kept in the home.
15:30And I asked her
15:30about jewelry.
15:31Does your mom
15:31keep jewelry in the house?
15:32Did she wear jewelry?
15:33And she said,
15:34well, my mom
15:35wore bangle bracelets.
15:36They were 22-carat
15:37gold.
15:37They came from India.
15:40They weren't that big
15:41or thick.
15:42So just, like,
15:43two skinny bracelets
15:45that she would wear
15:45on a normal day.
15:48At the time
15:48of the autopsy,
15:49the only thing
15:50that was listed
15:50on her
15:51was one earring
15:52that was recovered
15:53from her body.
15:54Those bangle bracelets
15:55were missing.
15:57Danowitz immediately
15:58thinks about the autopsy
16:00saying there was
16:01a scratch on the hand.
16:03What if it was
16:04a scratch
16:05because the person
16:06pulled off
16:07those bracelets?
16:10Capri explained
16:10to me
16:10they were a set
16:11of six.
16:11My next question
16:12to her was,
16:13okay,
16:14these two are missing.
16:15Where are the other four?
16:17And she says,
16:17we keep them
16:18in a strong box
16:19with some other jewelry.
16:20I can get them
16:21for you.
16:23And she placed down
16:24four bangle bracelets.
16:26To the human eye,
16:26they all looked identical.
16:27and these were
16:29hand-etched
16:30and in a design
16:31and very,
16:31very attractive,
16:32very pretty.
16:32So the first thing
16:33I wanted to do
16:34was photograph them.
16:38Now we have a lead.
16:39We have a lead
16:40on jewelry.
16:42It's high-carat,
16:43expensive gold jewelry,
16:45which somebody
16:46who needed money
16:46would be very interested in.
16:49So the next step
16:50is to hit the pawn shops.
16:51I had a flyer made up
16:57that showed them
16:57in two views,
16:59very distinctive,
17:00the design,
17:00and we began to canvas
17:02area shops
17:03looking for
17:04a place of business
17:05that bought
17:06bangle bracelets
17:06just like this one.
17:09I visited personally
17:10probably about 70 pawn shops
17:12all throughout the area.
17:15New Jersey is a large place.
17:17New York is even bigger.
17:19You can be on a train
17:19to New York
17:20in 30 minutes.
17:22Who knows if you're
17:23ever going to find
17:23the pawn shop
17:25where that was sold.
17:27So you're looking
17:28to really find
17:29a needle in a haystack.
17:32Danowitz is going
17:32to have to find
17:33a different approach
17:34because this one
17:36is not going to work.
17:40Evil lives here.
17:42The killer speaks.
17:43Tuesday on ID.
17:50again, the question
17:53kept coming back.
17:54Who would come
17:54to the door
17:55that Bellwinder
17:56would feel comfortable
17:57enough to open
17:57the door for?
17:59We came to find out
18:01that there was
18:01a plumbing issue
18:02a few days earlier
18:03and that the builder
18:04had sent a repairman.
18:07So Danowitz
18:08finds that interesting
18:09because it's not uncommon
18:10for people who
18:11are workmen
18:12are also criminals.
18:15So we wanted
18:16to talk to that person
18:17because that was
18:19someone who probably
18:20if she opened
18:20the door for once
18:21she may be willing
18:22to do so again.
18:23We identified
18:31the repairman.
18:32We spoke with him.
18:33He was very cooperative.
18:35He was very complimentary
18:36of, you know,
18:37how easy it was
18:38to go there
18:38and make the repair.
18:40So Danowitz says,
18:42where were you
18:43on Valentine's Day?
18:46Well, he left work early
18:47because he took
18:48his wife out
18:49and he had receipts
18:51to prove it.
18:51We checked his story,
18:54did a little
18:55investigative work
18:56and he had no
18:57involvement in anything.
18:59Unfortunately,
19:00once again,
19:00we're right back
19:01where we started.
19:07The advantage
19:08in the modern day
19:09is this country
19:11is under surveillance.
19:13Big Brother
19:13is just around the corner.
19:16Danowitz knows this.
19:19About 750 feet away
19:20from where this occurred,
19:21there were traffic cameras
19:22to catch red light violations.
19:25Was there someone
19:26moving extremely fast
19:27trying to get out
19:28of the area?
19:29We had put in a request
19:30to get that footage.
19:32Didn't see anything
19:33unusual about it.
19:34Put it on the shelf
19:35and moved on.
19:40So at this point,
19:42I'm eight days into this
19:42and I have nothing.
19:44Absolutely nothing.
19:45You feel the pressure
19:47because, you know,
19:48the farther away
19:50you get on the timeline
19:51from an incident,
19:52the harder it gets.
19:54Mike was giving me updates.
19:57He went every direction
19:58that he could go
19:59and I appreciated it.
20:01I've never brought anybody
20:03back from the dead.
20:04So the only thing
20:05I can give them
20:06is some sort
20:06of justice and closure.
20:09And I'm not doing
20:09a very good job of it.
20:12One thing after another
20:13fails to work.
20:15You've got to push
20:16through that.
20:17Danowitz knows that.
20:19There is no quit in him.
20:21That's why he's
20:21a good homicide detector.
20:23He doesn't know
20:24how to stop.
20:25Somewhere is the guy
20:29who killed this woman.
20:31Let's find him.
20:36The next day,
20:37I come into my office
20:39and I was at my desk
20:40and I got a call
20:41from a person
20:43by the name of Tommy App.
20:45My name is Tommy App.
20:46I'm a retired firefighter
20:47and arson investigator
20:48for the borough of Carteret,
20:50part of Woodbridge Township.
20:51It was located
20:52right next to Carteret,
20:53a stone's throw away.
20:56I called Mike Danowitz,
20:57of which I had
20:58no dealing with
20:59prior to this case.
21:02I explained to him
21:03that I was aware
21:04of the fire in Avenel.
21:05That happened
21:06on Valentine's Day.
21:09He says,
21:09I've got information
21:10on your murder
21:11and Danowitz says,
21:13you do?
21:15I said,
21:15I don't know
21:15if this is a grain of sand
21:16on the beach
21:17or whether this is the straw
21:18that's going to break
21:19the camel's back.
21:20And he said,
21:21Mike, I had an incident
21:22that happened
21:23the other day
21:24at a delicatessen
21:25and I run into
21:25this woman I know
21:26from town.
21:27I used to coach
21:27her children
21:28in Little League sports
21:29and she says to me,
21:31Hi, Coach Tommy.
21:32How are you?
21:32You know,
21:34just very nice.
21:34We had a small talk
21:36as usual
21:36and she mentioned to me,
21:38did you hear about
21:39the fire in Avenel?
21:40I told her,
21:41yes, I did.
21:42And she says,
21:43well,
21:44Val Winder
21:44and her family
21:45are friends of my husband.
21:47And he says,
21:47Mike?
21:48At that point,
21:49the little hair
21:50is on my neck stood up.
21:51He says,
21:52and I'm going to tell you why.
21:53Her husband
21:54is Harpal Singh.
21:56Harpal Singh
21:56is a common denominator
21:58or a person of interest
21:59in eight suspicious fires
22:00in my town.
22:03With Mr. Singh,
22:04every one of those fires,
22:05he was a renter.
22:06He was either residing
22:08in that residence
22:09or family members
22:10were part of that residence.
22:13In the early going,
22:15all of them were small.
22:15one was in a box
22:17outside of an air conditioner.
22:19Another was a flower plant
22:20underneath a deck.
22:22The eighth fire
22:23was the big one.
22:25It pretty much destroyed
22:26the whole house
22:26and the two cars
22:27that were in the driveway.
22:30I did coach
22:31both of his sons
22:31with baseball.
22:32We had a good
22:33personal relationship.
22:34I was not looking at him
22:35as a suspect.
22:37I was looking at him
22:38more as a victim.
22:39And I said to him,
22:40I says,
22:41who do you owe money to?
22:42You know,
22:43who'd you piss off?
22:44Whatever it was,
22:47he clammed up.
22:49That's where I realized
22:50he was the suspect.
22:51He was no longer the victim.
22:53The average person
22:54might experience
22:55a fire event
22:57once in a lifetime.
22:59If you are involved
23:00in eight fire incidents,
23:03you're either
23:03a liminy snicket
23:05suffering an unfortunate
23:06series of events,
23:08or you are
23:09one dangerous individual.
23:14He says, Mike,
23:14this guy's a fire bug.
23:16He's got something
23:17to do with these fires.
23:19There was no file
23:21against the insurance company,
23:22so there's no benefit
23:24to him.
23:25What is his motivation?
23:28Mr. Singh
23:29was not charged
23:30with anything.
23:31I had him in the church,
23:32but I just could not
23:33put him in the first pew
23:34with the evidence
23:35that I had.
23:35So Harpell Singh
23:38potentially knows
23:39the victim
23:40and is linked,
23:41possibly,
23:42to eight arson fires.
23:44Two and two
23:45still adds up to four.
23:47Was Ballwinder
23:48core fire number nine?
23:51So once I get off
23:52the phone with Tommy App,
23:53we run a check
23:55on Harpell Singh
23:56to identify who he is.
23:59Harpell earns a simple
24:00and humble living
24:01as a truck driver.
24:02He just seemed to be
24:05one of those
24:05down-on-his-luck
24:06kind of guys
24:07who, you know,
24:08was scraping
24:08the bottom of the barrel.
24:13So I know
24:13I wanted to find out
24:14from the family
24:15if what Tommy's
24:16information checks out.
24:18I met with Caprit
24:19and her brother.
24:21I said, Caprit,
24:22do you know someone
24:23by the name of Harpell Singh?
24:25And she said to me,
24:26yes.
24:28He's a friend
24:29of our uncle.
24:32Harpell had come over
24:37to our house
24:38a few weeks before
24:39my uncle was at our house
24:41and he just decided
24:43to come.
24:43And I think
24:44that was the first time
24:45that he got the opportunity
24:46to come into our house.
24:48And my dad,
24:49you know,
24:49he's proud of himself
24:50for getting a house.
24:52It's a big deal
24:53for somebody
24:54that's coming from
24:54a different country
24:55with, like, no money.
24:57So he was very, like,
24:58boastful.
24:59He was showing him
25:01around the house.
25:02So he would have been
25:04familiar with what
25:05property they may have
25:06had.
25:07He knew enough
25:08about the family
25:09to know that
25:10the husband was involved
25:11in cash businesses
25:12so that there may
25:13be money there.
25:18Danowitz,
25:18Church of the Sun,
25:19do you know this guy?
25:21Harpell Singh?
25:22Oh, yeah.
25:23In fact,
25:24I saw him recently
25:25just before the fire.
25:26You did.
25:27Where'd you see him?
25:28He said that
25:32on February 10th.
25:34He was coming home
25:35from school,
25:36and when he got
25:36to the driveway,
25:38Harpell Singh
25:39was standing
25:39in the driveway.
25:43He hadn't rung
25:44the doorbell,
25:45hadn't knocked.
25:45He was just standing
25:46there,
25:46and Harpell said,
25:48oh, my truck
25:49got heated up
25:50and I need water.
25:51And my brother
25:52kind of looked around,
25:53and he didn't see
25:53the truck,
25:53but he didn't think
25:54a lot of it.
25:56What happened then?
25:58DP says he gave Harpell
25:59a jug of water,
26:00and then he left.
26:03I says,
26:04but you've never seen
26:05a truck overheating.
26:06No.
26:07And immediately,
26:08something's not right.
26:10What are the odds
26:11that in the dead of winter,
26:13this man's vehicle
26:14is overheating
26:14and have this problem
26:16front and center
26:17in front of their home?
26:18So now,
26:22Mr. Harpell Singh,
26:24Mr. Fire Guy,
26:26he's in the driveway
26:27four days before
26:28this woman is murdered
26:29with a very bad story
26:31about needing water
26:32for a vehicle.
26:35Not only do I have
26:36this history of him
26:37and fires,
26:38but now I know
26:39that he's been
26:39to the home,
26:40he's been in the presence
26:41of Balwinder,
26:42and she knows him,
26:43and probably would
26:44open the door for him.
26:45So it fit.
26:46Danowicz's experience
26:49tells him
26:49if it walks like a duck
26:51and it cracks like a duck,
26:52it's a duck.
26:54Harpell Singh
26:54has got some
26:55explaining to do it.
26:57I touched base
26:58with my sergeant,
27:00and we went to go
27:00pay Harpell a visit.
27:06We came to the door,
27:07I said,
27:07hi, Mr. Singh.
27:08I'm doing an investigation
27:09about a fire that occurred.
27:10I understand that
27:11you're acquainted
27:12with the family.
27:13It's in the interest
27:15of Danowicz
27:15to make Harpell believe.
27:18This is just
27:18a low-eb interview.
27:20I'm interviewing
27:21all the people
27:22that knew the family.
27:24I asked him,
27:25just the basic stuff,
27:26how did you come
27:26to know the family?
27:27How long have you
27:28been acquainted with them?
27:29And then eventually,
27:30when was the last time
27:31you were there?
27:33And his response was,
27:34like two or three days before,
27:35and I stopped there
27:36to get water for the truck.
27:39He seemed pretty
27:40matter-of-fact.
27:42Didn't seem nervous.
27:43He appeared
27:44to be cooperative,
27:44didn't look like
27:46he was trying
27:46to hide anything.
27:49So Danowicz
27:50asked Harpell
27:51what he was doing
27:52on Valentine's Day
27:53the 14th.
27:53He said he was at work.
27:55He said,
27:56okay, walk me
27:56through your day.
27:58I got up,
27:59I took my kids
28:00to school,
28:00I go to work.
28:01After work,
28:02I went to Keyport,
28:03New Jersey.
28:04Keyport is located
28:06about 22 miles
28:08from where
28:08this house fire was.
28:09Harpell Singh
28:12is an over-the-road
28:14truck driver.
28:15He says he bought
28:16a tractor trailer
28:17from a dealer
28:18in Keyport,
28:18New Jersey,
28:19and he owes him
28:21money on it.
28:21So he had gone out there
28:23to make a payment
28:23and then went
28:24straight home.
28:26And then he started
28:27to mention to me,
28:28listen,
28:29my children,
28:30my boys are getting
28:31out of school.
28:31I said, okay,
28:32Harpell,
28:32give me a minute.
28:33And I grabbed
28:34the sergeant,
28:35I said, listen,
28:35do me a favor,
28:35go outside,
28:36take a bunch of pictures
28:37of that van
28:38before he gets
28:39in it and leaves.
28:41It's a white van
28:42and it had a painted
28:43sign on the side
28:45of the van,
28:45but he just covered
28:46it up with silver
28:47duct tape.
28:48We got the pictures
28:49and Harpell,
28:50listen,
28:51we may be in touch
28:51with you down the road.
28:52If I need you,
28:52I can call you.
28:53Yes.
28:55And he left.
28:57In the meantime,
28:59the sergeant calls
29:00to Harpell's employer
29:01and gets the timesheets
29:02for the week
29:03of Valentine's Day.
29:05And lo and behold,
29:06those timesheets indicate
29:07that Harpell Singh is off.
29:09He didn't work
29:09on Valentine's Day.
29:11So I've been lied to
29:12for sure.
29:14I love liars deeply.
29:17People lie for a reason.
29:20Particularly when
29:20there's somebody
29:21dead nearby,
29:23they tend to lie a lot.
29:29I wanted to find out,
29:30okay,
29:30if he's not at work,
29:32was he in Keyport?
29:32I mean,
29:32where was he?
29:34So he had provided us
29:35the information
29:36of who he bought
29:36the truck from.
29:38Denimus drives
29:39to where this
29:40used truck dealership is.
29:43He says,
29:44you have a customer
29:44named Harpell Singh.
29:47When I said that,
29:48immediately,
29:48yes,
29:48yes,
29:49I know him.
29:50I sold him
29:51a tractor trailer.
29:52He gave me a deposit
29:53of so much money.
29:56Harpell Singh
29:57owed $19,000
29:59in full
30:00on this truck
30:01and was making payments.
30:02but according
30:04to the dealer,
30:04he had recently
30:05fallen behind.
30:08The salesman says,
30:09I gave him
30:10an ultimatum.
30:10I said,
30:11if I don't have
30:12some of the money
30:12or at least
30:13a substantial part
30:14of it,
30:14I'm going to take
30:15the truck back.
30:17You got to February 10th.
30:19He says Harpell
30:20called him on the 10th
30:22and said he could
30:23not arrange the money.
30:25So the dealer said
30:26he would give him
30:27until Monday,
30:28the 14th,
30:29Valentine's Day,
30:30to make the payment.
30:33I said,
30:33did he come Monday?
30:34He says,
30:35yes.
30:36And he only had
30:36$1,000
30:37and I was not happy.
30:40He had significantly
30:41less money
30:42than he had indicated
30:43he was going to bring
30:44and he appeared
30:45to be drunk
30:45at the time.
30:48Danowitz is now
30:49looking at the dates,
30:50the 10th
30:51and the 14th
30:52of February.
30:52Well,
30:52that's very odd.
30:54The 10th
30:55was the day
30:56that Harpell Singh
30:57was in the driveway
30:57at the house
30:58when the son
30:59came home
30:59from school
31:00and the 14th
31:01was the day
31:02of the murder.
31:03And the bell
31:04went off in my head.
31:07He needs money
31:08and Val Linder
31:10and her family
31:10had something.
31:12It certainly fits
31:13the scenario.
31:14Now,
31:14there is a somewhat
31:15of a motive here.
31:17For the first time
31:18in almost two weeks,
31:19I'm finally getting somewhere.
31:20The stars are lining up now.
31:21So Danowitz goes back
31:27to his office
31:28to review
31:29those traffic-pattern cameras
31:30he got
31:31from the area
31:32of the crime scene.
31:33Now he knows
31:34what he's looking for,
31:35a white van
31:36with silver duct tape.
31:38How unique is that?
31:40I go through the video
31:42that shows
31:43the street
31:44about 750 feet away
31:46from where
31:47this fire took place
31:48and I begin
31:49to watch
31:49the traffic
31:50flow through
31:51the traffic stop.
31:53447,
31:54448,
31:55and I say to myself,
31:56well,
31:56this is the 911 call
31:57right now.
31:59And no sooner
31:59than I said that,
32:00his van pulls up
32:01and stops
32:01at the red light
32:02plain as day.
32:03I'll never forget
32:06watching the evidence.
32:07You can actually see
32:08the brake lights
32:10flickering on and off.
32:11You can tell
32:11that he's so stressed
32:13and anxious
32:13for the light
32:14to turn green.
32:14He wanted so bad
32:15to get out of there.
32:17There is no doubt
32:18100% who this is.
32:20I could almost see him
32:22in the van
32:23and I'm like,
32:23are you kidding me?
32:26What are the odds
32:27another person
32:28having a white van
32:29with silver duct tape
32:30a block away
32:31from the victim's home?
32:33at the moment
32:34the fire call
32:35comes in.
32:36It's about the same
32:38as a guy
32:39that has eight fires
32:40in eight different
32:40houses he lives in.
32:42There is no one else.
32:44There is Herpels
32:45Singh.
32:47Period.
32:47The end.
33:00When a case
33:01starts to roll,
33:03it is euphoric.
33:05You've been wondering
33:05all this time.
33:07Not anymore.
33:09It's time to reel in
33:10Mr. Herpels Singh
33:11and have a long
33:13and pointed conversation
33:14with him
33:15about his difficulties
33:16in this matter.
33:18We made arrangements
33:19to meet a second time
33:20at the Woodbridge
33:20Police Department.
33:21He wasn't resisting.
33:24He was like,
33:25okay.
33:25And he even called
33:26a cert.
33:27So we sit down
33:29with him
33:29and say,
33:30Herpels,
33:30there's been some
33:31developments
33:31and, you know,
33:32I don't think you were
33:33truthful with us.
33:33We called where you work.
33:35They said you didn't work
33:35on Valentine's Day.
33:38Herpels' immediate answer
33:39is,
33:39well,
33:40he's got the dates wrong.
33:41I mean,
33:41I was working that day.
33:42I said,
33:43listen,
33:44let me finish.
33:44We have pictures
33:45of your van.
33:47I actually got out
33:48a computer laptop.
33:49I showed him the video.
33:52Detective Danu
33:53has pointed out to him,
33:54well,
33:54look,
33:54that's clearly your van.
33:56He basically would just
33:57respond,
33:57well,
33:57why do I have to be there?
34:00I said,
34:00what does that even mean?
34:02He says,
34:02you're telling me
34:03I was there.
34:04I says,
34:04I am telling you there
34:05because I saw my own two eyes.
34:06You know what I know.
34:07And we went round and around
34:08for the longest time
34:09over this.
34:11He has an answer
34:12for everything
34:13that Danovich hits him with.
34:15None of it,
34:16of course,
34:16makes any sense
34:17because he's making it up
34:18as he goes along.
34:21Harpal Singh
34:21did have an arrogance
34:22about him.
34:23I think he thought
34:24that he was
34:24the smartest person
34:25in the room
34:26and in that case,
34:26clearly he wasn't.
34:28He never cooperated
34:30with us.
34:30It was deception
34:31and a blank blind stare.
34:33And it was like,
34:34all right,
34:34let's call it a day.
34:35And I said,
34:36Harpal,
34:36listen,
34:36we're probably
34:37going to talk again.
34:38He's like,
34:38okay,
34:39yes,
34:39whatever you need,
34:40sir.
34:40Same thing.
34:41and he left.
34:44At that point,
34:45I want to charge this guy,
34:46but we need something
34:47linking him
34:48to the scene.
34:49We got to put him there.
34:50We need something more.
34:52So now,
34:53I have enough probable cause
34:54to get a warrant
34:55for his cell phone records.
34:58And I find out
34:59through that
35:00that he,
35:00in fact,
35:01was at the area
35:02of the fire
35:02at the time.
35:04And then he went
35:06in an area
35:06we call Little India.
35:08There's one section
35:10of Edison
35:11that has a very,
35:12very large
35:12Indian population,
35:15a lot of clothing stores,
35:16restaurants,
35:17jewelry stores.
35:19There's about 24
35:20jewelry stores
35:21that specialize
35:22in buying and selling
35:23Indian 22-karat gold.
35:25Danowitz realizes
35:28that he was looking
35:29in the wrong place.
35:30He was looking
35:31in pawn shops.
35:33Now he's going
35:34to go to Little India
35:35and look in the right place,
35:37jewelry stores
35:38that buy gold.
35:39We went to every store,
35:47myself and a bunch
35:48of detectives
35:49with that flyer,
35:50and I get a call
35:52from a Woodbridge detective.
35:54He says,
35:54I think we got something
35:55up here
35:55at one of these
35:56jewelry stores.
35:57There's a girl here
35:58and she says
35:59she bought a bangle bracelet
36:00just like this
36:01about a week ago
36:02and she bought it
36:03from a guy.
36:05By the time
36:06I had gotten there,
36:07the owner had showed up,
36:08had found
36:09the transaction receipts.
36:12In New York
36:13and New Jersey,
36:15a photo ID
36:16is required
36:17to sell something
36:18in a jewelry store.
36:19So out comes
36:20the sales record,
36:21a copy of that ID,
36:24and it's none other
36:25than our hero,
36:26Arpel Singh.
36:28Shows his photograph,
36:29his date of birth,
36:30and his current address
36:31that hasn't burned down yet.
36:33It's him.
36:35And we had him.
36:36I actually get
36:38a little choked up.
36:40We had him.
36:41We had him.
36:49I was never so happy.
36:50I called my supervisor
36:51and he was like,
36:53okay, you guys get typing.
36:54I'll give you the statutes.
36:54We're going to charge him
36:55with the murder.
36:57We're going to charge him
36:58with the arson.
36:58We're going to charge him
36:59with hindering apprehension.
37:00We're going to charge him
37:01with the theft.
37:01We're going to charge him
37:02with everything.
37:02He strung you guys along.
37:03We're going to charge him
37:04with everything.
37:04As soon as the ink is dry,
37:05go get him.
37:07And that's what we did.
37:10We went back
37:10to go look for him
37:11unannounced.
37:13We picked him up,
37:14advised him he was under arrest.
37:16He was for what?
37:17And then he was very silent.
37:18He didn't say anything.
37:19He's like, you know,
37:20he was very quiet.
37:21When he was arrested,
37:28Danowitz's attempt to interview,
37:29of course,
37:30he lawyered up.
37:31That's good, Harpel.
37:33You're probably going to need
37:34one of those.
37:35You might even need two of them.
37:37Mike called me
37:38and he told me
37:39that he had arrested Harpel.
37:41And I think we were just surprised,
37:43not even shocked,
37:44like really surprised
37:45because we weren't thinking
37:46it was him at all.
37:48and it's kind of like,
37:51you know,
37:51hindsight,
37:52you think of it
37:52because of the day
37:53that my mom died,
37:54everybody was coming over
37:55to my aunt's house
37:56to say how sorry they were
37:57and give their condolences
37:58and stuff.
37:59So when he came over,
38:00my aunt said she could smell
38:01the alcohol in his mouth.
38:04Like,
38:04what kind of psychopath
38:05does that?
38:06Like,
38:06you just killed her
38:06and then you came
38:07the same day
38:08to say how sorry you were.
38:11Harpel is an example
38:13of the personality
38:15that is the most dangerous,
38:17the sociopathic personality.
38:21The sociopath has no friends.
38:24He has only useful people
38:26or enemies.
38:28And if the useful have to die
38:30for him to survive,
38:32well,
38:32then they do.
38:34His feelings don't matter at all
38:37because he doesn't have any
38:38because he's cold as ice.
38:40only Harpel Singh
38:46knows what prompted
38:47his attack
38:48on Ballwinder Coor.
38:50But we have an idea.
38:53Harpel had bought a truck,
38:54a cab,
38:55for an 18-wheeler
38:56on credit
38:57and he had money due
38:57and he didn't have the money
38:59to make the payment.
39:01The opinion
39:02of the arson investigators
39:03was only an opinion,
39:06not provable.
39:08He was experimenting
39:09on how to start
39:10fires
39:11and have it not
39:13look like an arson.
39:15The first seven fires,
39:18in their opinion,
39:19were experimental.
39:20Prior to the eighth fire,
39:23he supposedly took out
39:23a life insurance policy
39:24on his wife
39:25and his two sons.
39:26I think the end goal
39:27was to kill his two sons
39:29and his wife
39:30for money.
39:32That whole plan,
39:33if it was such a plan,
39:35didn't work.
39:37He was never charged
39:38with that crime,
39:39nor was he charged
39:40in relation to the eight fires.
39:41But the facts
39:42certainly make you wonder.
39:45So he comes up
39:46with another plan.
39:48He remembers
39:49Ballwinder's family
39:50being so successful.
39:51He was under the impression
39:54that these people
39:55had money
39:55and maybe had,
39:56you know,
39:57the answer to his problems
39:58within their home.
40:00It's pretty obvious
40:01this was supposed
40:02to occur on February 10th.
40:04Our pal shows up
40:06in that driveway
40:06and unbeknownst to him,
40:09bad timing,
40:10Ballwinder's son
40:11arrives from school
40:12and now he has left
40:14on a short notice
40:16to come up with
40:16why he's there.
40:17And the best he can do
40:18is this story
40:19of the overheating truck.
40:22Nothing's wrong
40:23with the van.
40:24Something is deeply wrong
40:25with Mr. Singh.
40:28He had an extension
40:29until Monday,
40:30which was Valentine's Day
40:31for the money,
40:32which he could not arrange
40:33on the 10th.
40:34He was going to make sure
40:35this time
40:36that that didn't
40:37happen again.
40:43I think he went in
40:45under the guise
40:47of being friendly
40:48and I think
40:51at some point
40:52he grabbed Ballwinder
40:53and said,
40:56where do you keep
40:57your money?
40:58And I don't think
40:59she had anything
41:00to give him.
41:02A lot of people
41:03that own gas stations,
41:04they have money at home.
41:05like, but my dad
41:06didn't have it
41:06because he wasn't
41:07really involved
41:07in the gas stations.
41:08It was his partner.
41:09He was more
41:09into the restaurants,
41:10but this is something
41:12I think Harpal didn't know.
41:14He tries to strangle
41:16the information
41:16out of her
41:17and it doesn't happen.
41:22Now it's time
41:23to panic.
41:25He rips the gold bracelets
41:26off her wrist,
41:28scratching the back
41:29of her hand
41:30of her hand
41:30in the process.
41:31Then quickly thinks
41:32about how to cover
41:33his tracks.
41:35Fire is his thing
41:37and that's how
41:38he was going to
41:39erase his footsteps.
41:41He was going to
41:41burn the house down
41:42and everybody
41:44was supposed to think
41:45that Ballwinder died
41:46in a tragic fire.
41:47and then he goes
41:52up to what we call
41:53Little India
41:54to try to sell
41:55the gold bracelets.
41:58He basically
41:58then left Little India
42:00with whatever he had
42:01and went to make
42:02a minimal payment
42:03as to what he owed
42:04on this tractor trailer
42:05to the salesman.
42:05I mean,
42:07how could this guy
42:09do this?
42:10You know,
42:10this was a guy
42:11that I knew personally.
42:12I considered him
42:13a friend.
42:14I realized he was
42:14a wolf in sheep's clothing.
42:20Harpal Singh is charged
42:21with first degree murder.
42:23He was charged
42:23with aggravated arson.
42:25He was charged
42:26with theft
42:26and he was charged
42:28with hindering
42:28his own apprehension.
42:31Harpal Singh
42:31stood before
42:32a jury trial
42:33and after
42:35a very good
42:36presentation
42:37of our case,
42:38a jury found him
42:39guilty on all counts
42:40and convicted him.
42:42Harpal Singh
42:43was sentenced
42:44to life in prison
42:45in the state
42:46of New Jersey
42:46where he remains
42:47to this day.
42:50Some of my families
42:51wanted the death
42:51penalty for him.
42:53I don't.
42:54I want him to be
42:54in jail for the rest
42:55of his life
42:55so he lives that life.
42:59When all was
43:00said and done,
43:01Caprit wrote me
43:02a letter on behalf
43:03of her family
43:03and, you know,
43:04and just very,
43:05very, you know,
43:06kind words.
43:08Mike was very,
43:09very diligent.
43:10He told me
43:11he was going to find
43:12who did this
43:12to my mom
43:13and he did
43:14what he promised.
43:17I'm glad
43:17that we were able
43:18to get her
43:18some justice.
43:19I think the hardest part
43:24of this whole thing
43:25for me was when
43:26we cremated her
43:27because that's it.
43:29She was gone afterwards.
43:32My mom would be
43:33very proud of where
43:34I am right now.
43:35I'm earning good money.
43:37I have a house
43:39that's, like, nice.
43:40You know,
43:40my husband's great.
43:41My in-laws are wonderful.
43:42Like, she's never
43:43going to see that life
43:44for me.
43:44and I hate that.
43:47Most importantly,
43:48my daughter's never
43:48going to know
43:49who her grandmother was.
43:51Like, she's just
43:51going to see pictures
43:52and that's it.
43:54Ballwinder Coor
43:55was a victim
43:56of her own success.
43:58There was no way
43:59for Ballwinder Coor
44:01to know
44:02that this individual
44:03would do her harm.
44:06Bad things happen
44:07to nice people.
44:09The saddest thing
44:10about my work.
44:11all of my ears of it
44:13was that fact.
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