Eppawela murder suspect beggars belief

By Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe

The killing of a family at Eppawala shocked the country last week and Police were unable to nab the murder suspect as he had fled the area. But due to the vigilance of a soldier the police were able to arrest the man while he loitered among beggars in the Pettah last Sunday.
An Army corporal on his way to the Fort railway station was walking on the fly over to catch the train to Trincomalee which was to depart at 9.00 pm. Suddenly his attention was drawn to a young man who was among the beggars. It was a familiar face but he couldn’t identify the young man immediately. Moments later the corporal was able to establish the man’s identity.
He was none other than the most wanted suspect linked to the brutal killing of an entire family at Sandaresgama in Eppawala. The victims were K.A Dayaratne, his wife Malini Jayasinghe and their two children. They were done to death a few days ago, but their bodies were found only on the 14th by a neighbour.
The Police investigations into the massacre disclosed that a young man who was residing in the house had gone missing after the killing. He was linked to the killing as a blood stained trouser belonging to him was found by the Police sniffer dogs at Wepitiya in Eliyadiwulwewa. The missing young man was not a stranger to the house of the victims. He was none other than deceased Malini’s nephew. The police investigations revealed that the father of the suspect was textile vendor. His mother was abroad for sometime and the suspect and his sister grew up under Malini’s care.
It is said that the father of the young man chased his mother and sister away from home due to a family dispute. Threafter, the mother of the suspect came to live with Malini. The suspect’s family lived with the murdered family for sometime. The suspect’s family was maintained by Dayaratne. Disputes arose between the suspect’s mother and Malini and the suspect’s mother took up a job in the Katunayaka free trade zone one and half months ago. Meanwhile, Dayaratne had found a job for the suspect’s sister. He also found her a room on rent.
By this time the young man had become addicted to liquor. Dayarathna tried hard to cure him of his addiction and to find him a job. Meanwhile, Dayaratne and his family were brutally hacked to death. The young man came under suspicion as a neighbour said that he was not in good terms with the family. When the corporal saw him on the fly-over he identified the suspect as he was also a resident of Eppawala. He also knew the murder victims.
After identifying the suspect, he informed Senior DIG Jayantha Gamage, who was heading the investigation. He had the telephone number of the SDIG as the SDIG was known to his Commanding Officer. The SDIG advised the corporal to keep an eye on the suspect. For the corporal, making the journey to Trincomalee was also important. However, the SDIG enabled him to do so as well, by delaying the train for 30 minutes by calling the authorities. Meanwhile, the police surrounded the Fort area and arrested 150 beggars who were on and around the fly over. The young man was also among the arrested and the corporal identified him. After interrogation by police, the suspect recanted all about the killing.
“They found fault with me everyday telling me to find a job. I hated it. So, I thought of killing them. First, I thought of throwing a bomb at them. But, I got the chance before that on the night of the 11th July. It was around 11 p.m. mahappa was watching T.V and loku amma and malli were sleeping in the room. Nangi was in the other room. I was in the veranda. I thought the time was ripe. I brought the axe from the kitchen and slashed mahappa’s head and he fell down. I also hacked his neck and killed him on the spot. Meanwhile, loku amma tried to come out and I chopped her neck. Malli rose from his sleep at the moment and I hacked him,” the young man deadpanned.
Meanwhile, Udeshika, Dayaratne’s daughter was awakened by the commotion. She saw her father’s body when she came out of the house. She also saw the suspect coming out of the other bedroom with a blood stained axe. She realized what had happened and tried to escape by pushing the assassin away. Yet, unfortunately she was helpless -- she was attacked near the dining room and was killed on the spot.
He survived after the massacre spending the 3000 rupees he stole from Dayaratne’s house. By the time he was taken into custody, he was a penniless man without a cent to live on.