Jiten Patel was a drug and alcohol addict at the time.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: North Carolina man Jiten Ashwin Patel is currently on trial for the 2013 murder of his father, 62 year-old Ashwin Kumar Vaghjibhai Patel.
Jiten (29) allegedly shot his father multiple times on the night of January 12 last year, at his home in Mount Holly, North Carolina. Investigators said that Ashwin was found face in down in a pool of blood, with four bullet wounds to his head and another in his hand.
Although Jiten and his defense attorney, Brent Ratchford, have argued that he acted in self-defense, so far the trial has not painted Jiten in a flattering light. Ashwin’s blood was found on the bottom of Jiten’s shoes, with bloody footprints found outside a BP gas station owned by Ashwin later that same night. Jiten’s DNA was also found on the murder weapon.
According to prosecutors, Jiten killed his father and then went on a drug binge. A known addict of cocaine and alcohol, two friends of Jiten have already testified during the trial that they saw Jiten on the night of the murder, but that he gave no indication that his father had been killed, and was acting normal in just about every regard.
Jiten was arrested around noon the day after the murder, when police got wind that Ashwin’s BP gas station had been broken into. Police had already discovered Ashwin’s body at the Patel residence, and made Jiten their prime suspect, launching a search operation for him.
Police knew that the Patels’ gold Toyota Camry was missing, and was likely being driven by Jiten. Police around the state were given the make, model, and license plate number of the vehicle, which is how Jiten was eventually located and arrested.
This is not Jiten’s first run-in with the law. He was convicted of felony larceny in Jackson County, NC in August 2005, and served seven months in prison. In December 2002, again in Jackson County, he was convicted of a drug charge and placed on probation.
The trial, which began earlier this week, is expected to wrap up soon. Jiten has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder, breaking and entering, and larceny.