Man accused of killing wife and unborn child in Auburn

Published 4:42 pm Wednesday, March 18, 2026

A pregnant woman was fatally shot the afternoon of March 13, according to Auburn police.

On March 17, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Charanpreet Singh Walia, 36, of Auburn, with first-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. These charges stem from a March 13 incident in the 30300 block of 125th Court Southeast, in Auburn, where Walia is accused of shooting his pregnant wife, Naveneet Kaur, 37, in the stomach and abdomen, killing her and their unborn child.

The Auburn Police Department (APD) reported that around noon, officers responded to reports of a shooting at a residence in the area. Upon arriving at the residence, officers located a pregnant adult female, Kaur, with at least one gunshot wound, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

APD reported that officers took Walia into custody.

Walia’s next court appearance is his arraignment on March 19, where he will enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. According to the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention jail lookup portal, Walia is in custody at the King County Correctional Facility, and his bond is set at $5 million.

Details of the case

According to charging documents, in the late morning of March 13, Kaur and Walia were arguing about sponsoring Kaur’s parents to come to the United States from Canada, and during the argument, Kaur’s brother was on the phone with her. Kaur’s brother then called Walia, admonishing him for how he was treating his pregnant sister.

Documents state that Walia then hung up the phone and went to his vehicle to retrieve his gun. Walia’s father told police that when he saw Walia return from his vehicle, it appeared that he was attempting to conceal something. Walia’s father stated that he believed that he was hiding a firearm and that Walia kept a firearm in his vehicle.

Documents state that Kaur then called her brother back, and Kaur’s brother told police that when he was on the phone, he heard Kaur state, “He has a gun, call 911!” before the phone call disconnected.

Walia’s father stated that he then heard several gunshots, rushed upstairs and saw Kaur lying on the floor, and Walia was standing next to her. Walia’s father said that about five minutes later, Walia called 911 and admitted to shooting Kaur.

Documents state that Kaur’s brother attempted to call Kaur and Walia several times but received no answer, and Kaur’s brother then called 911. Documents state that Kaur’s brother gave officers various phone numbers belonging to people inside the home.

Documents state that when officers arrived at the scene, they attempted to contact people inside the home, but Walia called 911, reporting that he shot his wife and she was dead. Officers then called to the occupants of the home to exit, and Walia exited and surrendered to police.

Documents state that Walia told officers that he shot his wife because she had been harassing him by pulling on his beard, which is a sign of disrespect in their East Indian culture.

Walia also told officers that he killed his child. Documents state that Kaur, who was pregnant, had gunshot wounds to her abdomen that are consistent with his statement that he killed his child, as they have no other children. Following Kaur’s death, officers confirmed that Kaur was 27 weeks pregnant at the time of her death.

According to documents, when officers found Kaur, she was on the second floor of the home in the hallway, with a black semi-automatic handgun on the floor next to her. Kaur was not breathing and had no pulse, and King County Medic One arrived on scene and declared Kaur dead at the scene.

Documents state that when officers were conducting a search in the home, they found holes in the first-floor ceiling, and the holes were below where Kaur’s body was located. Six shell casings, a firearm and Kaur’s phone, which appeared to have a bullet hole through it, were found next to her body. The firearm was a pistol, and several other firearms were also located in the home.

Officers described Kaur’s gunshot wounds as being at least one to her upper chest, at least two to her abdomen and at least two to her lower back.

According to documents, one of Kaur’s gunshot wounds to her chest had the appearance and consistency of a gunshot wound resulting from the muzzle of the gun being pressed against Kaur’s chest. The opening of the wound was found to be consistent with the shape of the muzzle of the gun found next to Kaur’s body.

According to documents, the trajectory of a hole found on the ground indicates that it is very likely that Kaur was shot as she lay on the floor.

Documents state that in Kaur and Walia’s room, there were various sonogram photos hung on the wall, and many other items were located that indicated that Kaur was pregnant.

Documents state that Walia’s parents said Kaur and Walia had been at odds for some time over Kaur’s request to sponsor her parents’ immigration to the United States.