When Shemina Hirji was murdered in her home over a week ago, just five days after being married to Paul Cheema, Cheema was the focus of sympathy. Though there was also an undercurrent of suspicion about his role in the home invasion he said happened, much of it driven by the fact that he was essentially unharmed, those who raised doubts were often harshly criticized.

Since the murder, things have changed dramatically.

Besides the suspicions raised by Paul Cheema's own account of what happened, we have learned that he was found guilty of threatening to kill his former fiance when she dumped him. When confronted with the charge, Paul Cheema presented a tiny cut on hs hand as evidence that he was the true victim of an attack launched by his wife and her family.

The authorities didn't believe his story then. And despite what looks like an attempt to refine the story (inventing a third party instead of blaming the violence on the Hirji family), it appears that Paul Cheema suffers from a severe credibility deficit:

Police have been unable to substantiate Narinder "Paul" Cheema's claim that three home invaders were responsible for the death of his wife Shemina Hirji.

"We have been unable to substantiate it so far," Cpl. Dale Carr of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said yesterday.

"It's our belief so far that there isn't three home invaders." Hirji, 40, was found dead in her Burnaby townhouse after Cheema called police around 12:15 p.m. on July 5 to report that they had been attacked by three men.

Until this weekend, police were pursuing the three as their only suspects.

But yesterday, Carr said police are focused on one man as their primary suspect.

Cheema was arrested in Surrey on Saturday and held in jail overnight. He was released without charges on Sunday.

But for Paul Cheema, the news gets worse. It's one thing for the police to think you are a liar -- the police are bound by law to provide evidence before they can do anything. But when your own family stops believing you, then you know you've got problems:

[Jas Cheema, Paul Cheema's sister-in-law,] said her family is "totally devastated" by the loss of the beautiful and talented 40-year-old educator whom they had welcomed into their family.

"My brother-in-law is a separate issue and Shem is a separate issue. She was my sister, okay. She meant a lot to us," a distraught Jas Cheema said just a day after she arranged a prayer service for Hirji at Vancouver's Akali Singh Sikh temple.

"Some people said to me, 'You shouldn't be doing this, you should cancel the service,' and I said, 'No, the service has nothing to do with Paul, it is all to do with Shem and I want to pray for her soul.'"

Jas is just one person, and she married into the family. Moreover, she is active in the community on issues such as domestic violence, so she might not be representative of other people in the Cheema family. Still, no one is being quoted in the media to contradict Jas' assertions that Paul Cheema is a "separate issue" for the family. A family friend suggests that the family as a whole thinks Paul Cheema is guilty:

[Family friend Indira Prahst], an instructor at Langara College and an activist in the area of women and violence, said the news sent the Cheema family into a state of shock.

“They're holding on to the last bit of hope that possibly he is innocent,” she said. “Because there is a good side to him, too.”

You have to give Jas credit though. I don't think people appreciate what risk she is taking by criticizing Paul Cheema, even obliquely. His parole records indicate that Paul Cheema is prone to violence against women who dare stand up against him:

Parole board records shed new light on the 34-year-old British-born man, who arrived in Canada as a 19-year-old in 1991 and was serving a prison term less than four years later.

"You do not accept responsibility for the offences or an understanding of the effects that your actions have had on the victims," a November 1996 ruling says. "You have a controlling attitude in that you demand to have control over the women in your life. You attribute much of the blame for your offence on the victim and her family."

"In my opinion, Mr. Cheema is prone toward spouse abuse and explosive outbursts if these issues are not addressed through appropriate counselling," the July 12, 1996 psychological assessment said.

"There is little doubt that cultural differences, expectations and difficulties contributed significantly to Mr. Cheema's current situation," it said, referring to his expectations over the arranged marriage.

Paul Cheema was staying with his brother Bob and his wife Jas. Since the arrest, that has changed, and Bob and Jas have left their own home:

Jas Cheema said her brother-in-law and his parents are staying at her south Surrey home right now, but she and her husband have temporarily left their house with their immediate family because the situation is so stressful and the media scrutiny too intense.

I can only imagine how stressful the "situation" is to be an educated, opinionated, and successful woman sharing living space with Paul Cheema.

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