Kerala Man Accused Of Mass Murder Sentenced To Life Imprisonment
Raja had initially claimed that he was mentally ill and that the murders were part of an occult experiment. The prosecution demonstrated that the crime had been meticulously planned and was driven by his resentment toward his family.
Thiruvananthapuram: A court in Thiruvananthapuram sentenced the sole accused, Cadell Jeansen Raja, in a quadruple murder case to life imprisonment on Tuesday. Raja was convicted of the murder of his parents, sister and aunt on April 5 and 6, 2017, in Nanthancode, Thiruvananthapuram.
The Thiruvananthapuram Additional District and Sessions Court VI judge Vishnu K. also imposed a fine of `15 lakh on Raha. He was convicted of murder, destruction of evidence and arson. According to the verdict, his life imprisonment will begin only after he serves 12 years; 7 years for arson and 5 years for destruction of evidence.
The compensation amount will be awarded to Jose Sundaram, his uncle. The prosecution had sought the death penalty in the case.
Raja had initially claimed that he was mentally ill and that the murders were part of an occult experiment. The prosecution demonstrated that the crime had been meticulously planned and was driven by his resentment toward his family.
The prosecution argued that Raja was depressed after failing to complete an engineering course abroad and was frustrated by his isolation within his wealthy family home. They also suggested that violent video games and other online materials influenced his actions.
Ultimately the court rejected his claim of mental instability.
The incident
The murders took place on April 5 and 6, 2017, when Raja's parents, Professor Raja Thankam, 60, Dr Jean Padma, 58, Raja’s sister Caroline, 26, and aunt Lalitha, 70, were found killed in their home.
According to police reports, Raja used a hatchet to murder the four family members and later burned the bodies of three in the bathroom. The fourth body was discovered wrapped in bedsheets inside the house.
After committing these gruesome murders, Raja fled to Chennai. He was apprehended by police on April 10.
