Eight sentenced to death over 1997 Colombo murders

The Colombo High Court sentenced eight defendants to death after they were found guilty of committing murders.

Colombo High Court Judge Buddhika Sri Ragala imposed the sentences following a lengthy trial.

Seven of the defendants accused in the case appeared in court today (08), while the court previously decided to proceed with the trial in the absence of one remaining defendant.

The Attorney General filed the case against the defendants for causing the deaths of Hewa Batagodage Kusumawathi and Velayutham Udayakumar, and injuring several others, in the Tarawatta area within the Colombo judicial zone on or around 21 September 1997.

The crimes occurred due to an escalating dispute, and the judge, delivering the verdict after a lengthy trial, stated that the prosecution proved the charges against the defendants beyond a reasonable doubt.

The judge accordingly ordered the death sentence to be imposed on them.