Preliminary hearing scheduled in Turlock murder case

A judge on Monday scheduled a preliminary hearing to start April 20 for three defendants accused of murder in a Turlock shooting last year.

Prosecutors believe Pardeep Singh, Kultar Singh Dhatt and Cole Nathaniel Millington are responsible for the Nov. 6 shooting of Amritpal Sandhu, who was found dead in a car near Pioneer Avenue and East Main Street.

Authorities have said 21-year-old Sandhu called 911 from Highway 99 to report that he was being shot at shortly before he was found dead.

The defendants appeared in court Monday morning. Their preliminary hearing is estimated to last about five days. At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge will determine whether there is enough evidence for the defendants to stand trial.

The case is eligible for the death penalty, but prosecutors have not yet decided whether Singh, Dhatt and Millington will face capital murder charges in Sandhu’s death.

The defendants remain in custody at the Stanislaus County Jail.

This story was originally published October 27, 2014 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Preliminary hearing scheduled in Turlock murder case."