Plainfield's 'Chainsaw Massacre' Attempted Murder Defendant Attacked Mom, Teen Girl: Prosecutors

PLAINFIELD, IL — A 39-year-old man who hails from Surrey, British Columbia, is now in the Will County Jail facing eight new felony charges, including attempted murder, following his arrest last week by the Plainfield Police Department. The agency told Patch that Gurcharan Singh was initially hospitalized following the neighborhood stabbing incident, and now that he's healed, he's in the Will County Jail.

In his booking photo, stitches can be seen on Singh's neck.

RELATED: Woman, Teen Found Lying In Roadway With Lacerations In Barricade Incident: Plainfield PD

The Will County State's Attorney's Office filed a petition to detain Singh, who goes by the name of John.

According to the filing, several Plainfield officers were dispatched to a wellness check in the 12600 block of South Potomac Drive on Sept. 17 as a female could be heard on an emergency line screaming. Another female voice was later heard on the 911 line stating that her mom was bleeding from her neck area. She described how a man inside their home caused this laceration to her neck. Both victims advised they were calling from outside the home.

The two female victims, a mom and her 13-year-old daughter, were found by Plainfield Police on Potomac Drive, and both were completely hysterical, prosecutors revealed.

"They were able to advise that the offender was a male, who normally goes by the name of 'John' and was still occupying the residence," court documents show.

The woman suffered a severe laceration to her neck area that she described as being caused by a knife, which was wielded by the man inside the home. Officer Shaefer then wrapped a QuikClot gauze around her neck and began applying pressure. The teenage girl had a laceration to her right hand, in between her thumb and index finger, and a superficial cut to the neck, court files say.

"He literally took a knife and just started cutting me up!" the woman told Plainfield police.

The two victims were rushed to Adventist Hospital in Bolingbrook.

At the hospital, the 13-year-old girl told Plainfield police that in the morning, she had gotten up to go to school, and both her mother and Singh were both at the residence. At approximately 3:10 p.m., prosecutors say the girl arrived home from school and heard her mother and Singh arguing inside the residence from the front door. The teenager heard her mother stating, "No, I won't, I won't."

Later, Singh approached the girl and pushed her down, which caused her head and neck to strike the stairs, prosecutors alleged.

While on the ground, Singh grabbed her and attempted to "cut" her neck, at which time her hand between the index and forefinger was cut, prosecutors revealed. The girl smeared blood on herself and stated that she "tried to play dead."

When asked to describe the knife, the 13-year-old girl stated it was "silver" and "it was a knife, I don't know. How are you supposed to know when someone is trying to kill you?" prosecutors said the girl told Plainfield police.

As for the woman who suffered life-threatening stab wounds, she explained that while she was in the living room of her residence, Singh approached her and punched her twice on the right side of her head. After striking her in the head, Singh ran toward the kitchen and retrieved a knife, court documents show.

Singh then stated, "now watch what I'm going to do to you and your daughter," court record indicate.

The woman told Plainfield police, "it was like that chainsaw massacre, he just started chopping away at me."

The woman could not recall how many times Singh slashed her with the knife, prosecutors said. She described the incident as happening quickly explaining that after her daughter left the residence, she fled as well.

As the woman left the residence, she saw Singh use the knife to cut himself, prosecutors said.

The woman's attending physician described her injuries as life threatening, and she was slated to be transported by helicopter to the University of Chicago hospital for further medical treatment, court files say. While Officer Meyers spoke with her, she was reminded by hospital staff not to speak too much due to the severe bleeding from her neck, according to prosecutors.

Singh had an appearance at the Will County Courthouse on Thursday. Will County prosecutors have charged Singh with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated domestic battery, two counts of aggravated battery using a deadly weapon and two counts of domestic battery.

Wednesday's hearing at the Will County Courthouse was delayed until Thursday so the judge could provide a Punjabi interpreter for Singh, the court files show.

According to Plainfield police officials, on Sept. 17, officers responded to a residence on the 12600 block of South Potomac Drive for a welfare check after receiving a 911 call of a
female screaming. While responding, dispatch advised that a woman had sustained a laceration to her neck.

Upon arrival, officers located a woman and a juvenile girl in the roadway in front of the residence. Both victims had lacerations to their bodies, and officers immediately provided medical care until Plainfield Fire transported them to a local hospital for treatment.

The woman told officers that the incident began as a verbal argument inside the residence involving a man. At some point, the confrontation became physical, resulting in knife-related injuries to both females, Plainfield police said. Following the altercation, police say both victims fled the residence while the man remained inside.

Officers secured a perimeter around the residence and attempted to verbally contact the man. After several
hours, police said the man, identified as Singh, came out of the residence and was taken into custody by officers. He was transported to the hospital.

"This incident is domestic-related, and the investigation is ongoing," Plainfield police said. "The Plainfield Police Department was assisted during the incident by the Bolingbrook, Channahon, Joliet, Naperville, Romeoville and Shorewood Police Departments, as well as the Will County Sheriff’s Office."

Singh also spent May 29 to 31 in the Will County jail, and then he was back there again June 1 to 4. Both of those arrests over the summer were made by Plainfield police as well.