Representative image for an arrest.
Credit: iStock Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: A youth was found guilty of murdering his father, mother, sister and a relative in Thiruvananthapuram in 2017.
Cadell Jeanson Raja (30), of Nanthencode was found guilty by an additional sessions court on Monday.
Cadell's father Raja Thankam (60), who was a professor, mother Dr Jean Padma (58), sister Caroline (26), and a relative Lalitha (70), were murdered.
Neglect by family members was found to be the provocation for the murder that took place on April 9, 2017.
After the killing, the bodies were burnt inside the house, which is hardly 1km away from the Cliff house compound where the official residences of the chief minister and many other ministers are situated.
Though Cadell went to a hideout in Chennai, he was held by the police. Blood stains on the dress worn during the time of the crime and digital evidence for his presence at the house during the crime were crucial evidences.
The accused initially claimed that he used to practice astral projection and that led to the murder. He was also stated to have mental illness. But the investigation team led by SP K E Baiju disproved these claims after detailed interrogation and examination with the help of psychiatrists.
Sentences will be pronounced after an argument on the quantum of sentence on Tuesday. Prosecution will demand capital punishment, considering it as a 'rarest of rare' case.