(Associated Press) A Guyanese national who was an international fugitive was sentenced Monday to 19 years to life in prison for the 1999 murder of a 19-year-old man at a Hicksville wedding.Balkumar Singh, believed to be 38 years old, pleaded guilty on Nov. 2 in front of Acting Supreme Court Justice Christopher Quinn to second-degree murder and first-degree assault.
“Balkumar Singh savagely murdered an innocent young man in front of scores of wedding guests and immediately fled the country,” said District Attorney Madeline Singas. “This defendant stayed one step ahead of the law for 16 years, but thanks to our law enforcement partners from around the globe we were able to bring him to justice.”
On June 13, 1999, Singh attended a wedding reception at the Masonic Hall on West Nicolai Street in Hicksville. Singh brought a 9 mm gun to the reception and became involved in an altercation on the dance floor. After the incident, Singh left the party and waited outside for 19-year old Abzal Khan. As Khan exited the temple, Singh took his gun out and fired multiple times, striking Khan seven times.

Witnesses described Singh standing over Khan’s body while shooting him, and the incident was witnessed by a crowd of at least 20 people. A 22-year old man, also attending the wedding, was shot in the foot and survived.
Singh, who had multiple aliases, ran from the scene and fled the country within days of the murder. He is believed to have traveled to Canada and Guyana before he was apprehended in Trinidad.
On July 19, 1999, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office filed an indictment charging the defendant with the crimes to which he ultimately pleaded guilty.
Singh, also known as Tevin Persaud, was featured in a 2009 episode of the America’s Most Wanted television show.
Based on a tip, the defendant was provisionally arrested by Trinidadian authorities in March 2015. The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office began the extradition process and Singh was returned to the United States on Aug. 14, 2015, by members of the Nassau County Police Department Homicide Division, who worked in conjunction with U.S. Marshals.