Lower Bail for Woman in Drowning Case Denied

A Ventura County judge refused Monday to lower bail for an immigrant Indian woman accused of trying to drown her two children last month in Channel Islands Harbor.

Superior Court Judge Art Gutierrez ruled that the charges pending against Narinder Virk, 39, are too serious to reduce her $500,000 bail. Virk wept and put her face in her hands throughout the hearing.

The decision also dashed the hopes of Virk’s supporters, nearly 50 of whom crowded Gutierrez’s courtroom. Drawn from Sikh communities across Southern California, the sympathizers were prepared to open their homes--and wallets--for a woman they have never met.

So far, supporters say they have raised $25,000, or half the 10% amount needed to free her. Some said they would put up personal property as collateral to get her out of jail.

“This woman is not a murderer,” said Dr. Amarjit S. Marwah, a dentist and Sikh community leader in Los Angeles. “She is a victim of circumstances.”

A Port Hueneme resident, Virk is facing two counts of attempted murder for allegedly holding her two children, ages 6 and 9, under water on Jan. 12. Authorities believe she was trying to kill her children, then planned to kill herself.

A harbor resident and former lifeguard awakened by plaintive cries rescued Virk and the children.

Virk has been in jail for nearly a month, and her children remain in the care of relatives.

Supporters believe she was suffering severe depression as a result of years of mistreatment and battering and should not be facing such severe charges.

They also believe cultural factors played a role in Virk’s actions.

An immigrant from northern India, Virk does not speak English and had no close relatives in Port Hueneme to turn to when her marriage soured, supporters say. They contend that Virk became isolated and depressed.

Marwah said that when people from his culture are troubled, they go to holy waters.

“That is what she did,” he said.

So far, supporters have gathered 700 names on petitions to reduce the charges.

Deputy Public Defender Christina Briles, who is representing Virk, said she will present those petitions to the district attorney’s office before the woman’s next court appearance, a Feb. 17 preliminary hearing.

During Monday’s hearing, Briles asked Gutierrez to listen to statements from Marwah and other supporters about the cultural and domestic violence issues in the case. The judge refused.

Briles argued that Virk is illiterate and poses no flight risk. Referring to the large crowd seated in the courtroom, she said her client would be taken into an appropriate home if released on bail.

“There are people in the community who are willing to provide for the defendant,” Briles argued. “As you can see . . . we have a very strong support system for her.”

Prosecutor Dee Corona objected to the bail request, and expressed doubt that Virk was a battered spouse.

Gutierrez said those issues were for a jury to decide--not a judge ruling on bail. On that issue, he ruled that the charges pending against Virk are too serious to warrant a lower bail.

Outside the courtroom, supporters said they will continue to raise money to release Virk from custody. They also pledged to attend her preliminary hearing and fight for the charges to be reduced.

“I’m very disappointed at the outcome of this,” supporter Sulekha Patel said after the hearing. “[But] we have to keep on working on supporting her.”