Michael Singh: The Domestic Predator
Overview
Michael Herbert Singh was a serial killer whose rage was directed at the women with whom he became romantically involved. Over a seven-year period from 1975 to 1982, he murdered a girlfriend and two wives in separate, violent outbursts. Born Rupert Sookman in Trinidad and Tobago, Singh’s life was marked by a pattern of escalating violence in his relationships. His first known victim was 16-year-old Candace Lynn Starr, whom he kidnapped and murdered in 1975. The case remained a mystery for decades. He then murdered his second wife, Mary Ann Singh, in Missouri in 1976, for which he was convicted of manslaughter and served a short prison sentence. In 1982, he murdered his third wife, Susan Irving Singh. For this final murder, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a state mental health facility. His life of violence ended as it was lived; in 2005, he was stabbed to death by a fellow inmate. Four years after his death, DNA evidence definitively linked him to the cold-case murder of Candace Starr, confirming his status as a serial killer.
Early Life and Background
Michael Herbert Singh was born Rupert Sookman on February 25, 1945, in Trinidad and Tobago, one of seven children in an Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian family. After completing high school, he worked as both an elementary and high school teacher. Seeking to escape what they perceived as discrimination from the majority Black population, Sookman and his family immigrated to Denver, Colorado.
Soon after arriving in the United States, Sookman enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam War. He received an honorable discharge and returned to Denver, where he attempted to start a new life by opening a clothing store. However, he struggled to adjust to civilian life, and his business ultimately failed. He re-enlisted in the Army but left again due to difficulties and a lack of income. Following these setbacks, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and at some point, changed his name from Rupert Sookman to Michael Herbert Singh.
The Murder of Candace Starr
In 1975, while living in Los Angeles, Singh began a relationship with 16-year-old Candace Lynn Starr. The relationship was volatile and characterized by Singh's violent behavior, which eventually led Starr to end it. Enraged by the rejection, Singh’s possessiveness turned deadly. On September 21, 1975, he went to Starr's home and kidnapped her at gunpoint, forcing her into his van as her two younger sisters watched in horror.
For the next several months, Singh held Starr hostage. Their journey ended on December 14, 1975, at a convenience store in Gallup, New Mexico. There, Singh shot and killed Candace Starr before fleeing. Witnesses were able to provide a partial description of the shooter and his van, but with little evidence and an unidentified victim, the case quickly went cold. For more than three decades, Candace Starr was a Jane Doe, her killer's identity a mystery. It was only in 2009, four years after Singh’s death, that her remains were identified through DNA, and the crime was finally attributed to him.
The Murder of Mary Singh
After murdering Candace Starr, Singh moved to Springfield, Missouri. There, he met and married Mary Ann Spain, a 29-year-old divorcée with two young children. Mary worked as an operating room technician at the Cox Medical Center. As with his previous relationship, Singh’s violent nature soon surfaced, and the marriage was plagued by frequent and intense arguments.
On September 23, 1976, during one such dispute in front of their house, Singh pulled out a gun and shot Mary multiple times before fleeing the scene in his car. The horrific event was witnessed by Mary’s children; her 5-year-old daughter ran to neighbors for help, who then contacted the police. An autopsy later revealed that Mary had been shot once in the chin at close range, with three additional bullets striking her chest and left arm. Singh was apprehended later the same day along Route 63. A pistol was found in his car.
The Murder of Susan Singh
Following his release from prison for the manslaughter of Mary Singh, he moved to Kansas City. In 1982, he married 34-year-old Susan Irving. The familiar pattern of domestic abuse repeated itself. Singh quickly became violent towards his new wife. On May 13, 1982, Susan filed an assault complaint against him, alleging that he had kicked her in the face and ribs. Singh was charged, and a court appearance was scheduled for June 3.
Before he could appear in court, Singh, who was on a work release program, fled. He sought out his wife, abducting her from her Kansas City home on May 25, 1982. He drove her to a rural area near Camden Point, where he bludgeoned her to death with a blunt instrument. His crime was interrupted when police officers, responding to a trespassing complaint, discovered him attempting to bury Susan's body. Singh tried to flee but was quickly apprehended after a short chase.
The Victims
- Candace Lynn Starr, 16 — Murdered on December 14, 1975, in Gallup, New Mexico. After ending her relationship with Singh due to his violent behavior, she was kidnapped from her Los Angeles home and held captive for months before he shot and killed her. Her identity remained unknown for 34 years.
- Mary Ann Spain (Singh), 29 — Murdered on September 23, 1976, in Springfield, Missouri. A divorced mother of two and a dedicated operating room technician, she was shot and killed by Singh in front of her home during an argument.
- Susan Irving (Singh), 34 — Murdered on May 25, 1982, near Camden Point, Missouri. Just weeks after she filed an assault complaint against Singh for his violent abuse, he abducted her from her home and bludgeoned her to death.
Investigation and Capture
The investigation into Candace Starr's murder was stalled for decades due to the lack of identification. In 2009, her sister, Pamela Mulligan, was instrumental in solving the case. She had never given up hope and had submitted her DNA to a national database. This led to a match with the unidentified victim from the 1975 New Mexico murder, finally giving Candace her name back. With her identity confirmed, investigators were able to link the crime to Michael Singh, who was already deceased.
In the case of Mary Singh's murder in 1976, the investigation was swift. The crime was witnessed by her children, who alerted neighbors. Singh fled but was arrested the same day. When questioned, he presented himself as an unemployed construction worker and gave his wife's address as his own. He was extradited to Missouri and held on a second-degree murder charge with bail set at $75,000.
The capture of Singh for Susan Singh's murder in 1982 was almost immediate. Police officers responding to an unrelated trespassing call stumbled upon him as he was trying to dispose of her body in a rural area. He attempted to run but was caught after a brief pursuit.
Trial and Sentence
Singh's trial for the murder of Mary Singh was set for March 1977 but was delayed after a violent outburst in court required seven bailiffs to restrain him. After a psychiatric evaluation deemed him sane to stand trial, proceedings began in August 1977. During the trial, Mary's children testified against him. Singh took the stand in his own defense, claiming Mary was the aggressor and her death was an accident. He made baseless allegations that she was a closeted bisexual who tried to force him into relationships with men. These claims were strongly refuted by Mary's family and friends. A police officer also testified that shortly after his arrest, Singh had asked if Missouri had the death penalty. The jury ultimately found him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter in a 12-1 decision. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In a controversial 1980 court ruling, he was deemed eligible for half of his wife's $9,500 life insurance policy, as manslaughter was not considered intentional murder under the policy's terms.
For the 1982 murder of Susan Singh, his trial was scheduled for July 16, 1984. Despite some psychiatrists describing him as "grossly disturbed," the trial proceeded. This time, Singh was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He was not set free but was instead transferred to the Fulton Medical Clinic, a secure mental health facility, for an indefinite period of treatment.
Imprisonment and Death
Michael Singh spent the remainder of his life at the Fulton Medical Clinic in Fulton, Missouri. On March 30, 2005, his life of violence came to a violent end when he was stabbed to death by a fellow inmate, Rahaman M. Muhammad. The two had a history of disputes. When questioned about the motive for the killing, Muhammad stated that he wanted to be transferred back into police custody and believed that killing someone was the most direct way to achieve that goal. Michael Singh was 60 years old at the time of his death.
Aftermath and Legacy
The final chapter of Michael Singh’s violent history was written four years after his death. In November 2009, advances in DNA technology allowed investigators to finally identify the "Jane Doe" victim from the 1975 Gallup, New Mexico shooting as Candace Lynn Starr. Her DNA profile, entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), was matched with family samples. This breakthrough officially linked Singh to his first known murder, confirming the suspicions of those who saw a pattern in his deadly violence against women. Candace's sister, Pamela Mulligan, expressed relief that her sister's murder was finally solved and felt that justice, though long delayed, had been served. Michael Singh's case is a chilling reminder of the dangers of domestic violence and how a perpetrator's rage can escalate to serial murder, leaving a trail of devastation across multiple states and decades.
