Amanda Kaur

Case record: Amanda Kaur

Background

Amanda Kaur was 28 at sentencing and was a mother of two. Her husband, 26-year-old Air Force Staff Sgt. Ira Kaur, was an Arizona native and was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base. He had been stationed at Ellsworth since 2007 and worked as a military pay technician. Ira Kaur had adopted Amanda Kaur’s two children two weeks earlier. He had applied to Officer Candidate School and was pursuing his master’s degree.

Amanda Kaur lived with Ira Kaur in their New Underwood home. Investigators later described the circumstances of his death as suspicious and said there were no other suspects.

The offence

Amanda Kaur pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter for the killing of Ira Kaur.

Ira Kaur was shot twice in the head with a .45-caliber handgun. Prosecutors said the first shot occurred at approximately 7 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 28, and that the bullet traveled through a frontal brain lobe and exited his left cheek. Zellmer told the judge that there was “tremendous blood loss” and that Ira Kaur was in “agonizing pain.” The victim lived for an estimated four to five hours before a second shot was fired directly into his forehead from very close range. Zellmer said both shots were fired while Ira Kaur was lying in bed.

Forensic evidence later revealed that after the first shot, “a pillow was pressed against Ira Kaur’s head and face.” Zellmer said bedding on the bed had been moved but the victim was not moved.

Prosecutors alleged that Amanda Kaur bought the handgun used to kill her husband less than 24 hours before the shootings. Court documents indicated she bought the gun the day before his death. Prosecutors also said the gun was purchased while she was alone.

Amanda Kaur told investigators that her husband attempted to commit suicide, that the couple struggled, and that the gun fired. She also said she left the house to take her two children to breakfast at a local cafe and returned to discover her husband was still alive, and that she fired a second round into his head.

In court, prosecutors accused her of “staging” the scene to look like a suicide.

Investigation

The Pennington County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a “subject not breathing” call at the Kaur home. Investigators from the Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, and United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations were called to the scene.

After an autopsy and further investigation, Lt. Marty Graves of the Sheriff’s Office said there was enough evidence for the probable-cause arrest Wednesday. Graves said:

“It wasn't until late Tuesday night that we were able to know what exactly we were dealing with,” Graves said. “We don't have any other suspects.”

Investigators sought a search warrant to confiscate computer equipment, cell phones, cameras, and any electronically stored photos or video from the couple’s home in the 100 block of Oak Street.

Prosecutors said investigators estimated at least six hours passed between the initial gunshot and the second shot. According to court descriptions of what prosecutors alleged, Amanda Kaur took the children to breakfast, returned around 1 p.m., was in the house for 20 minutes, and then claimed to find her husband on a futon. According to Zellmer’s description of statements attributed to the affidavit, Amanda then took the gun upstairs, wiped it off with a wash cloth, wrapped the gun up in the wash cloth, covered Ira with a blanket, and called 911.

Zellmer said a neighbor told investigators that a “somewhat frantic” Amanda Kaur knocked on her door about noon asking for zip ties and offered to pay for the zip ties.

Zellmer said Amanda Kaur did not call 911 after the first shot was fired, but instead took her two children to breakfast.

Zellmer said that there was “no evidence to support suicide” and that Ira Kaur’s death did not show signs consistent with suicide.

In a letter as part of a pre-sentence investigation, Amanda Kaur claimed that the shots were fired during struggles as Ira Kaur attempted to commit suicide.

Zellmer said Amanda Kaur had searched the Internet in the days prior to the shooting for information on the best place to shoot someone in the head and “Where is your jugular vein.”

Arrest

Authorities arrested Amanda Kaur Wednesday at around 12:30 p.m. on the service road east of New Underwood. She was arrested without incident on County Highway 1416, which runs parallel to Interstate 90 east of Box Elder.

Amanda Kaur was arrested after investigators determined there was enough evidence for a probable-cause arrest. She had been charged with first-degree murder at the time of the arrest and was held in the Pennington County Jail without bond.

Col. Jeffrey Taliaferro, Ellsworth Air Force Base commander, said in a release:

“We consider every airman a valued national resource, and Sgt. Kaur will be deeply missed,” base commander, said in a release Wednesday. “Our focus now is on helping his family and friends during this difficult time and assisting with the investigation into his death.”

Trial

Amanda Kaur’s case proceeded through indictments and plea negotiations.

A Pennington County grand jury indicted Amanda Kaur for the premeditated murder of her airman husband. The indictment charged her with shooting Staff Sgt. Ira Kaur at the couple’s home on Nov. 28.

During court proceedings, prosecutors attempted to withdraw the state’s plea agreement, insisting that the defendant had not given an accurate accounting of what happened on the day her husband died.

After questioning her for a third time on how her husband died, Circuit Judge John Delaney concluded that Ira Kaur died when his wife “knowingly” pulled the trigger on the gun resulting in his death.

Amanda Kaur told investigators several versions of how her husband died. Zellmer said she recently wrote a letter claiming the shots were fired during struggles as Ira Kaur attempted to commit suicide.

Amanda Kaur pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.

Sentencing

At sentencing, 7th Circuit Judge John Delaney sentenced Amanda Kaur to 65 years in prison.

Amanda Kaur pleaded guilty in June to first-degree manslaughter. Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to cap their sentencing request at 65 years. Circuit Judge John Delaney reminded Kaur that she was subject to a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

Kaur was eligible for parole after serving 50 percent of her sentence, or 32.5 years.

Delaney said:

“I think she killed him. I think she knew what she did,” Delaney said.
Delaney said he did not question the plea agreement setting a 65-year sentence. Delaney also said: “There is no number that will give relief to Ira’s family,” Delaney said.

Before passing sentence, Delaney said he had read everything sent to him about the case. Delaney said he believed the prosecution had a good case for a verdict of pre-meditated murder.

A prosecutor, Pennington County chief deputy state’s attorney Lara Roetzel, said the amendment to first-degree manslaughter occurred because first-degree murder had a mandatory life sentence. Pennington County deputy state’s attorney Josh Zellmer described the prosecution’s position during sentencing proceedings and asked Delaney to send Amanda Kaur to prison for 65 years.

Appeals

No appeal information appeared in the provided material.

Outcome

She was sentenced to 65 years in prison on September 18, 2011.

Aftermath

A public defender, Paula Pederson, argued for shortening the sentence during sentencing proceedings. Pederson said there were not monumental inconsistencies in her client’s statements to investigators about Ira Kaur’s shot. Pederson said there was information available to suggest the victim was suicidal and that the couple attended counseling for marital problems. Pederson said Amanda Kaur had never maintained that Ira Kaur’s death was not “an involuntary act.”

Pederson asked Delaney to consider psychologist Dewey Ertz’s diagnosis. Pederson said Ertz believed Amanda Kaur suffered from major depression most of her life and suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome, which prevented her from recalling the details of her husband’s death. Pederson described her client as “emotionally disengaged” from the events surrounding her husband’s death and said:

“She still loves Ira,” Pederson said.

During the sentencing proceedings, Zellmer said that Amanda Kaur claimed her marriage was abusive but that there was nothing to substantiate those claims. Zellmer said Amanda Kaur told investigators she had a “consensual affair” with another man and that the affair had nothing to do with her husband’s death. Zellmer said she still had contact with the man from jail. Zellmer also said she told investigators her husband had never hit her and that she later “now” claimed she was the victim of sexual abuse. Zellmer said:

“She now claims she was the victim of sexual abuse,” Zellmer said.
“She will literally tell this court anything to get a lighter sentence.”

Zellmer said Amanda Kaur attempted to manufacture a suicide scenario and said there was no evidence to support suicide. He said:

“There is no evidence to support suicide,” Zellmer told Delaney.

Other details

• Amanda Kaur was charged with first-degree murder initially and faced life in prison or the death penalty before the plea amendment to first-degree manslaughter.
• She was held in the Pennington County Jail under a $1 million bond after her arrest connected to the grand jury indictment.