San Francisco: The Indian-origin IT professional Shankar Nagappa Hangud, accused of killing four of his family members in a gruesome week-long spree before driving hours to a remote town in California to surrender, along with the body of one of his victims, appeared before a judge, Thursday here.
Placer County prosecutors, in a four-page complaint filed Wednesday, charged the 53-year-old Shankar Nagappa Hangud with four counts of murder ‘The Sacramento Bee’ newspaper reported.
Hangud, wearing a heavy green safety suit and shackled at the waist, was surrounded by a trio of Placer County sheriff’s deputies as he sat behind Plexiglas in the courtroom’s holding cell, the report said.
According to Wednesday’s criminal filing, the first two victims were killed by Hangud, a data specialist, October 7. Another family member fell victim the following day, October 8. Prosecutors allege the fourth death – the body driven to Mount Shasta police – happened October 13, in Siskiyou County, over 350 kilometres away, nearly a week after the first killings and a day before Hangud surrendered.
A motive for the slayings remains unclear, and police were calling on the public to help them puzzle out what led to the killings, the report said.
During his court appearance, a somber Hangud told Placer Superior Court Judge Jeffrey S. Penney, twice and then once again that he did not want an attorney.
“I strongly advise you to have an attorney appointed to represent you,” Penney said from the bench. However, Hangud said he did not want an attorney.
Later, Martin Jones, an attorney with the Placer County Public Defender’s Office stepped in. After a brief discussion, Hangud agreed to be represented by the public defender, the report said.
PTI