A Kerala Court on Tuesday sentenced Cadell Jeansen Raja to life imprisonment for the brutal murders of his parents, sister, and aunt in the infamous Nanthancode multiple homicide case [State of Kerala v Kedal Jeenson Raja]..The Thiruvananthapuram Additional District and Sessions Court VI delivered the verdict finding Cadell guilty of offences under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 436 (mischief by fire with intent to destroy house) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).Judge Vishnu K pronounced the verdict awarding Cadell life imprisonment for each of the four murders.The Court refrained from imposing the death penalty, observing that while the murders were "ghastly, brutal, diabolic, and heinous", the case did not qualify as the "rarest of rare"."In the instant case, at the time of the incident, the convict was in his late twenties and now he is in his mid-thirties. The convict has no criminal antecedents... In the above circumstances, the chances of reformation of the convict cannot be said to be foreclosed and therefore this court is of the opinion that the convict need not be punished with death, rather, sentence of imprisonment for life would serve the interest of justice", the Court said. Additionally, Cadell was sentenced to five years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹1 lakh under Section 201 and seven years of imprisonment with a ₹2 lakh fine under Section 436, IPC. The Court imposed a total fine of ₹15 lakh, which includes ₹12 lakh as compensation to the families of the four deceased victims (₹3 lakh each awarded to the families of the four victims).The Court also clarified that Cadell's prison terms under Sections 201 and 436 must be served one after the other.Only after completing these prison terms will his life imprisonment for murder under Section 302 begin. All four life imprisonment terms will run concurrently. .The horrific events of the Nanthancode murders date back to April 2017, when Cadell Jeansen Raja, then 37, brutally killed his father, Raja Thankam, a retired professor; his mother, Dr. Jean Padma, a retired doctor; his sister, Caroline; and his aunt, Lalitha, at their residence in Nanthancode, Thiruvananthapuram.The crime came to light on April 9 when the victims' mutilated and partially charred bodies were discovered inside the house.Cadell allegedly purchased a carpenter's axe online and used it to carry out the murders. It was believed that he set the bodies on fire later in an attempt to destroy the evidence. He was apprehended on April 10, 2017 at the Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station upon his return from Chennai..During his initial court appearance, Cadell denied his involvement in the murders, stating that he was in Chennai at the time of the murders.As per reports, he later attempted to mislead investigators by claiming that the killings were part of an 'astral projection' experiment, where he supposedly detached from his body.His disruptive behaviour continued in jail, where he assaulted an inmate, but psychiatric evaluations later dismissed any signs of psychosis and his actions were viewed as a calculated attempt to escape responsibility rather than just being delusional activities..The case heavily relied on circumstantial evidence of forensic findings, digital records, and witness statements. The forensic evidence presented by the prosecution contradicted Cadell's claims of non-involvement in the murders, as experts had detected traces of the victim's blood and petrol on his clothing. The prosecution also highlighted evidence of premeditation, including his purchase of cleaning supplies and black polythene covers a day before the murders.According to reports, data recovered from his laptop further showed that he had watched web series depicting axe murders, strengthening the theory of a planned crime..The accused Cadell was represented by advocates Koottappu U Mujeeb, Akhil Madhu and Manoharan P.Public prosecutor S Dileep Sathyan appeared for the State..[Read Order]
