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Accused killer's note privileged, lawyer says

A Chester County man accused of killing his father took the stand in a pretrial hearing Friday and testified that a note found by police, which prosecutors have said is incriminating, was made after a meeting with his attorney.

A Chester County man accused of killing his father took the stand in a pretrial hearing Friday and testified that a note found by police, which prosecutors have said is incriminating, was made after a meeting with his attorney.

Parth Ingle, 26, and his mother, Bhavnaben Ingle, 52, are charged in the 2008 death of Arunkumar Ingle, who was found dead in his bedroom in Middletown Township, Delaware County. He had multiple stab wounds and his testicles were badly bruised, according to police. His alleged killers were in court for a pretrial hearing before Delaware County Court Judge Barry C. Dozer.

One of Parth Ingle's attorneys, John Hickey, argued that the note was made after a meeting with defense attorney John Kusturiss and was protected by attorney-client privilege. It should be barred as evidence, Ingle's lawyers contended.

Assistant District Attorney Thomas F. Lawrie Jr. questioned Parth Ingle about the sequence of events surrounding the piece of paper, which state police obtained when searching Ingle's home after he was deemed to be the prime suspect in the murder.

"I was confused and my head was spinning," said Parth Ingle, who was dressed in red prison scrubs. "I was accused of something I had not done, I went home and made notes about it."

Written on the one side of the paper were notations "'Statute,' 'Insurance,' 'What would happen to you guys,' and 'Can I be arrested in another country.' "

Dozer said he would review all the material presented before ruling. The date for a trial is not yet listed.

The victim, a 55-year-old Boeing engineer, was having an affair with a Russian woman he met on the Internet. According to authorities, he planned to obtain phony passports, fake his own death, and move to India with her.

Arunkumar Ingle's plan was to leave behind $3.6 million in insurance policies for his wife and children, authorities have said.

Prosecutors said financial gain and retribution were the motives for the killing. Parth Ingle was about $43,000 in debt at the time.

Parth Ingle and his sister Avnee were tried in 2011 for hacking into their father's computer and installing software to capture his passwords. Avnee Ingle was acquitted, and Parth Ingle was sentenced to two years' probation.