SOUTH BRUNSWICK, September 4 2004
PTI
Renu Dabas waited for months in India to be able to join her new husband
in New Jersey.
Then, less than a month after the 20-year-old's arrival in the United
States, prosecutors say her spouse, Samander Dabas, ran her down with
the family minivan in the parking lot of a strip mall. She died days
later in an area hospital, more than 11,200 kms from her family.
Little is known about Renu's life in Haryana, before she arrived in
South Brunswick in late July, and authorities are trying to determine
whether there was any history of violence in her marriage.
A divorce filing by Samander Dabas' first wife in 2000 details a history
of abuse allegations against him that resulted in a final restraining
order being granted by a judge.
On the night of August 24 when Renu was struck, she and her husband
were leaving his relatives' dollar store after helping them close for
the night.
Authorities say as they were driving out of the parking lot, he hit
a tree, she got out their minivan and began to walk away.
"At some point she ran and he drove after her, driving over a
cement island that separates the parking lot from the service road and
struck her, knocked her down," said Middlesex County Assistant
Prosecutor Nicholas Sewitch.
Renu died of head injuries, said Sewitch, who did not believe she had
any relatives in the United States other than her new husband and in-laws.
Samander Dabas, 37, has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. He
was first charged with reckless driving and driving while intoxicated,
and authorities upgraded an original charge of aggravated assault to
murder after Renu's death.
His attorney, Middlesex County First Assistant Deputy Public Defender
Richard "Red" Barker, warned against a rush to judgment.
"I think it's a complicated matter; it's going to require investigation
along many different lines and until that's completed I don’t see
that anybody can really comment on what took place, why it took place
or exactly how it happened and what the facts were leading up to it,"
Barker said.
The couple married in April 2003 in India. Lawyers on both sides said
they did not know when or how the Dabases met.
Samander Dabas, who is an American citizen, had lived in the US for
18 years. Authorities do not know when exactly he went back to India
before his marriage to Renu, although they believe he returned to New
Jersey late last year.
Since arriving last month, Renu and her new husband had lived with
his sister and brother-in-law in the Kendall Park section of South Brunswick.
Samander Dabas' first wife has primary custody of the couple's son,
who is now 8. (2_)
Court records show Samander Dabas's first wife, whom he married in
India in 1991, accused him of assaulting her and said he once hit her
mother.
The prosecutor's office was able to reach Renu's father in India four
days after she died, and they arranged so the family could have a funeral
for her back home.
Samander Dabas was being held for lack of USD 1 million bail. If he
posts bail, Dabas must surrender his passport.