Queensland, 22 April 2003, 2.20pm…
Massimo (Max) Sica discovered the bodies of 3 members of the Singh family in a bubbling hot spa bath in the large, pretentious family home at Bridgeman Downs, an affluent Brisbane suburb. It could not be determined how long they had been there.
Sidhi 12 years, Kunal 18 years and Neelma 23 years had all been brutally bashed.
There was no apparent motive. Minimal forensic evidence, but ‘miracle’ foot impressions; no eyewitnesses; the ‘murder weapon’ found in the scene 13 days later.
Parents Vijay and Shirley Singh returned from Fiji and told police it was a personal vendetta waged by Max Sica against his former girlfriend Neelma. He was the main suspect within hours of his grim discovery.
The relentless media campaign over the next 6 years alleged Sica was the killer; claims he consistently denied. He made no admissions. Ultimately, with circumstantial evidence and a suspicious confession to an acquaintance, Sica was arrested in 2008 and convicted at trial in 2012. It was Queensland’s longest murder trial and longest sentence – 35 years imprisonment, with subsequent appeals refused.
The jury accepted that it was a momentary act of jealousy and rage by Sica toward Neelma, as claimed by the prosecution. Kunal and Sidhi were collateral damage. It was just a tragic Domestic Violence event of extreme and unusual proportions.
Sensational claims of epidemic violence by Vijay Singh against his entire family was aired, as was the family’s dysfunctional lifestyle and prostitution by Shirley Singh. Tension between Sica and the Singhs was evident. Sica was not considered a worthy partner for Neelma (despite her objections). The parents wanted an arranged marriage and were actively seeking a suitable Indian husband, as they had for their first-born daughter. Sica emailing nude photos of Neelma to family, friends and acquaintances escalated tensions and added another level to the saga.
Fast forward six years to 2018 and retired solicitor Jeff Johnson agreed to review the evidence, pro bono.
Johnson’s 8-year journey uncovered witnesses and evidence ignored by police. He found forensic evidence had been fabricated. Johnson gathered compelling evidence from multiple expert witnesses. Strong forensic evidence that this was a targeted murder was buried by police. Johnson uncovered a significant discrepancy in the time of death which would, of itself, have cleared Sica. Other suspects, including the Singhs were ignored. Johnson virtually demolished the entire crown case.
In 2021 former police detective and podcaster Graeme Crowley fact checked Johnson’s claims. He found evidence of a career criminal (Joe Khool- not his real name) who had a strong motive for revenge against Sica and Neelma, had previous arrests for murder and attempted murder internationally. (Unknown to investigating police).
This was a brutal, vicious crime with police under enormous pressure to make an arrest. As a result, they seemingly suffered from tunnel vision and were likely involved in noble cause corruption to secure a conviction.
Who killed the Singh siblings? And why?
The evidence strongly indicates it was NOT Max Sica. Did Khool’s criminal connections order the murders as revenge for Max Sica informing police of their A$10M kidnapping plan?