Kotakethana double murder accused sentenced to death
October 15, 2019 12:21 pm
The accused in the double murder of a mother and daughter in Kotakethana in 2012 has been sentenced to death by the Colombo High Court today.
Lokugam Hewage Dharshana, also known as ‘Raju’, was found guilty over the stabbing to death of a mother and her daughter in Kotakethana, Kahawatte in 2012, a gruesome double murder that sparked widespread outrage in the country.
Colombo High Court Judge Vikum Kaluarachchi, delivering the verdict following a long trial, stated that the charges against the defendant have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Reading out the 221-page verdict, the High Court Judge declared that the accused will be given the death penalty.
The Attorney General had filed a case against Lokugam Hewage Darshana alias ‘Raju’ and his wife Ashoka Chandani Kumari alias ‘Batti’ for the murder of 52-year-old Nayana Nilmini and her daughter Kavindya Chathurangi (17).
Colombo High Court had previously ordered the acquittal and release of the second defendant, Ashoka Chandani Kumari, due to the lack of evidence against her.
