The man accused of killing four family members in West Chester earlier this year is now scheduled to stand trial in a death penalty case in September 2020.

Gurpreet Singh, 37, is accused of killing his wife, her parents and her sister.

Shalinder Kaur, 39; her parents, Hakiakat Singh Panag, 59, and Parmjit Kaur, 62; and her sister Amarjit Kaur, 58, were found dead on April 28.

Singh called 911 and said he had found the four bodies of his wife and her family members in their West Chester apartment. Singh was arrested and charged in July.

During his arraignment in August, Singh pleaded not guilty to the charges and collapsed in court. Judge Gregory Howard denied bond and noted that Singh could face the death penalty.

Singh appeared in court on Thursday. A preliminary trial date was scheduled to run from Sept. 21, 2020, to Oct. 9, 2020. But these dates frequently are pushed back in capital cases.

Singh is being represented by Charles H. Rittgers, who has filed motions to close all pre-trial hearings in his client's case. His reasoning: "So we don't taint the jury pool like in the Richardson case."

Rittgers' law firm represented Brooke Skylar Richardson and secured her acquittal on a murder charge in the death of her daughter earlier this year in a trial that garnered national attention.

On Thursday, Rittgers also asked the judge to try to address the food served in the jail. Singh is vegetarian and the jail has struggled to accommodate his diet, Rittgers said.

Another pre-trial hearing is scheduled in the case on Nov. 13.

Singh was mostly quiet in court, shackled and in an orange jumpsuit. Several members of the local Sikh community appeared in court. Rittgers said at least some were there to support his client.