In a verdict delivered on Tuesday, the Thiruvananthapuram Additional Sessions Court VI sentenced Kedal Jinson Raja, the sole accused in the chilling Nanthancode mass murder case, to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 15 lakh for the brutal murder of his father, mother, sister and aunt. Initially, he lured his parents and sister into a room under the pretense of showing them a video game. Once they entered, he attacked and killed all three with a sharp sword. His aunt, who lived on the lower floor of the same house, was unaware of the events upstairs. Kedal later murdered her as well.
After killing all four, Kedal attempted to destroy the evidence and bodies by setting the house on fire. However, he failed to control the blaze and fled in fear to Chennai. There, upon watching news reports, he realized the case had escalated. He later returned to Thiruvananthapuram, where the police arrested him. Kadel initially tried to feign mental illness, claiming he was conducting an experiment to see how the soul leaves the body after death. However, investigations by police and medical experts revealed he was pretending. It was confirmed that he was mentally stable.
He said he wanted to observe the separation of soul from the body. The mass murder began on April 5, 2017 and the bodies were discovered on the morning of April 9. The mortal remains of the father, mother and sister were found completely burned, while Lalitha's body was found chopped into pieces, placed in a polythene cover, wrapped in a blanket, and infested with maggots. Further investigations revealed that Kedal had returned to India after discontinuing his studies abroad. He began feeling isolated at home and developed hatred toward his family. He felt that his parents were restricting his freedom and not allowing him to live as he wished. It also emerged that he disliked his father's lifestyle and was not allowed to meet his friends freely.