The surveillance video of a homicide left investigators baffled: A person walked right into a South Lake Tahoe comfort retailer and stated only a few phrases to the cashier earlier than capturing him useless and instantly strolling out.
It didn’t appear to be a theft try, and police discovered no indication the sufferer had enemies on the town.
However one thing in regards to the masked shooter appeared acquainted to a lady who occurred to see the video — and nearly 9 years later the killer is headed to jail.
Sean Donohoe, 36, was sentenced Wednesday to 50 years to life for the homicide of Manpreet Singh on Aug. 6, 2013, the El Dorado County district legal professional’s workplace stated.
The break within the case got here in 2019, when a lady contacted investigators to say she had watched the video time and again and was satisfied the shooter had the distinctive gait of her ex-boyfriend, Donohoe, who lived in South Lake Tahoe in the summertime of 2013.
That girl testified in the course of the trial in February, as did Donohoe’s former roommate, Jason Robertson.
Robertson informed the jury that he had gone into the U.S. Gasoline Station the place Singh was working round 10:30 on the night time of the homicide, South Tahoe Now reported final month. He stated he was intoxicated — he and Donohoe had been ingesting collectively — and Singh wouldn’t promote him vodka, so he purchased cigarettes and left.
It was 10 minutes later that the killer walked into the shop. He shot Singh as soon as within the torso with a .45-caliber handgun and walked out “earlier than his sufferer’s physique hit the ground,” prosecutors stated.
The crime was found at 10:50 by a buyer who discovered Singh bleeding behind the counter.
With an absence of proof, the homicide fell into cold-case standing; the video was launched in 2017 in an try to generate leads. When the ex-girlfriend got here ahead to supply the title of Donohoe, investigators have been capable of match the DNA on a masks discovered discarded just a few blocks from the crime scene.
Donohoe was arrested in Might 2020 in Las Vegas, the place he was then residing.
Singh was 27 on the time of his loss of life and a latest immigrant from India. He had been working on the fuel station for about 9 months. His dad and mom weren't capable of journey to america for the trial, however the district legal professional stated they offered a “a strong affect assertion” during which they stated their lives have been over when their son was killed.