Man, cousin convicted of plotting murder of wife

BY A STAFF WRITER

NASHVILLE. TN – Two Indian American cousins were convicted of conspiring to commit murder by a jury at a Murfreesboro, Tenn. Court.

Pratik Patel and his cousin Kalpesh Patel, residents in the Nashville area of Tennessee, were held accountable by the Murfreesboro city court on August 13 for trying to arrange the murder of Pratik’s wife Krupa in Rutherford County in 2013.

Both men were arrested in September 2013 after they approached construction worker Chris Robinson from Rutherford County who testified that the Patel cousins asked him to find someone to commit the murder for $50,000.

“Kalpesh was asking about having Pratik’s wife killed,” Robinson said.
Robinson, however, alerted the authorities who set up a taped call with Pratik and arrested the duo.

“I feel for the family. I feel for Mrs. Patel. But they tried to kill her. But for Chris Robinson, she would have been dead. Justice was done,” assistant district attorney general Sarah Davis was quoted as saying after the verdict.

According to Davis, Pratik wanted to get out of an arranged marriage with his wife but had religious objections to a divorce.

“We’re very disappointed in the verdict and plan to appeal the case,” said Ed Yarbrough, who represented Pratik after the verdict.

Both men face prison sentences between 23 and 90 years. A sentencing date has been set for October 16.