VERNON: Mark Chahal killed his ex-wife and eight members of her family out of a sense of injustice, says renowned psychologist Don Dutton. The Bombay man was angry that Rajwar Gakhal and her family had cleaned out a joint bank account when the couple separated, Dutton told a coroner’s inquest. Chahal, 30, was also humiliated by allegations of mental and physical cruelty leveled against him by the Gakhals, he said. “It’s a homicide based on injustice, where he saw the Gakhal family as the force out to get him, take him to the cleaners, humiliate him. “ Dutton, a specialist in violent relationships, said in no way did Chahal’s grievances justify or excuse his killing spree, He said it was a ‘bad idea” for police to approve Chahal’s purchase of two guns after he separated from his wife. In the majority of cases where women are killed, said Dutton, the crime is committed by their espouses. “The risks of spousal homicide increase dramatically after separation,” said the psychologist.
He also said police should have proceeded with an investigation after the abused complaint was filed in January 1995. Though Rajwar Gakhal filed a complaint with police that she had been abused during marriage, Dutton said the 24yearold woman showed none of the usual signs of a battered wife. The psychologist, who testified in the O.J. Simpson trial, said he found it “deceitful” on Rajwar’s part that on three occasion’s files from her doctor or therapist went missing. “There’s something unusual about her desire to control information in her files,” he testifies Friday as the Inquest concluded.
After the couple separated December 1994, Chahal withdrew into himself and began brooding said Dutton. He was upset because up to $100,000 of what he felt was his money had been seized in the joint accounts and investments. His condition worsened after the divorce case went to an examination for discovery in January this year, said Dutton. Then in March, when Chahal bought a magazine clip for his guns, he began actively planning the murders, Dutton said. “A magazine clip for a gun means you want to fire a lot of rounds in a short period of time. “During the five-day inquest, questions were raised about the failure of police to proceed with charges after death threats were issued by Chahal against Rajwar. Gun control was also an issue, since Chahal—who also took his own life—got police approval to obtain two restricted weapons.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 2, 1996
