Dr. Satinder Gill found dead in home November 2007
BY JAMES GILBERT, SUN STAFF WRITER
Published on: April 25, 2008 - 11:18AM
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A grand jury has indicted Preston Alton Strong in the November murder of a Yuma physician, according to the Yuma Police Department.
"The case is still under investigation and there are still things that need to be done," said YPD Officer Clint Norred. "But the most important part was getting him charged."
Strong, 41, who was recently sentenced to 3-1/2 years in prison for theft but is still being held in the county jail, is due to make his initial appearance in Justice Court today.
Dr. Satinder Gill was found murdered at his residence on West La Quinta Loop on Nov. 2 when police were dispatched to the residence for a welfare check.
Investigators discovered that a large sum of money was missing. The 62-year-old Gill had been killed by suffocation and blunt-force trauma the day before discovery of the body, according to YPD. Investigators also found that the home was filled with natural gas and lit candles.
YPD and the Yuma County Attorney's Office presented their case against Strong before a grand jury Thursday.
During its investigation YPD detectives confirmed that Strong, who was arrested the morning after the murder, was in possession of a large sum of money immediately after Gill's death.
Detectives were able to track Strong’s movements immediately before and after Gill's death, but his whereabouts during the death were unknown.
Norred said Strong is also a suspect in the 2005 murder of six people at a La Mesa Street home. At a press conference in November, police said there was potential physical evidence linking Strong to that crime as well, but they were still waiting for lab results.
According to police, there are common links to the La Mesa murders and the Gill murder. Both cases involved money, and the victims in both cases were forced to make phone calls that were out of the ordinary for them and were murdered by asphyxiation.
Another link is that Strong's whereabouts at the time of both murders is still unknown, as well as how he came into such a large sum of money.
People with information about either of the cases can call YPD at 783-4421 or 78-CRIME to remain anonymous.
---- James Gilbert can be reached at
jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.
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