A California man has been charged with the kidnapping and killing of a family of four, including an eight-month-old girl.
Jesus Salgado has been accused of kidnapping the family at gunpoint from their family trucking business on Oct. 3. The Associated Press reported Salgado was a former employee with a “longstanding dispute.”
Police believe Salgado killed the family — infant Aroohi Dheri, her parents, Jasleen Kaur, 27, and Jasdeep Singh, 36, and her uncle Amandeep Singh, 39 — within an hour of their kidnapping.
Salgado, 48, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances, the Merced County District Attorney’s office said Monday.
“Special Circumstances allege that the murders were committed during the commission of a kidnapping and that there were multiple murders in the same case,” the statement said.
He was also charged with arson and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
The Merced County District Attorney’s office said the charges carry a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The death penalty is legal in California, but district attorney Kimberly Lewis will not make a decision on this until next year.
Salgado, who attempted suicide on Oct. 4, was taken into custody the same day.
He appeared in court on Monday, ABC affiliate KFSN reported. He did not enter a plea and asked for more time to find an attorney. He is scheduled to return to court Thursday.
The bodies of the slain family members were found in an almond orchard in rural Merced County in central California on Oct. 5. The condition of their bodies or cause of death has not yet been released to the public. Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said last week it was unclear how the baby died. Warnke said the child had no visible trauma.
A family member of the victims, Mandeep Bhela, was present in court on Monday.
“We understand that this can be excruciatingly painfully slow, but we will support law enforcement, the system and the way that it needs to be done so that we can make sure that justice is truly served at the end of the day,” Bhela said.
Salgado was previously convicted of first-degree robbery with the use of a firearm in Merced County, attempted false imprisonment and an attempt to prevent or dissuade a victim or witness after he held a family he had worked for at gunpoint and forced them to follow his orders nearly 20 years ago. He served 11 years in prison for the case.
He also has a conviction for possession of a controlled substance, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.
Salgado’s younger brother, Alberto Salgado, 41, has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and killings, though there are no formal charges. He has been accused of criminal conspiracy, accessory and destroying evidence.
— With files from The Associated Press.
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