Kotakethana ‘Serial Killer’ to the gallows

• House where murders committed set on fire to destroy evidence  

 By Susitha Fernando 

Unravelling the mystery behind the series of brutal killings of women both young and old at Kotakethana in Ratnapura, Ratnapura High Court judge yesterday imposed the death sentence on a convict who was indicted for double murder, a mother and a daughter. 

High Court judge Lanka Jayaratne sentenced the accused Neil Lakshman who was indicted for the murders of Liyanarachchige Premawathi and Hewage Pushpakumari on July 19, 2012 at Kahawatte thereby committing an offence punishable under section 296 of the Penal Code. The accused was also indicted for raping deceased Hewage Pushpakumari and thereby committing an offence punishable under section 364(1) of the Penal Code. 
The victims had been brutally killed, attacking them on their heads with a sharp weapon.

Considering the seriousness of the offence, the Attorney General had filed a direct indictment without a non-summary proceeding.

At the beginning of the trial, the offences had been read out to the accused and he had pleaded not guilty. While the prosecution was led by Senior DSG Lakmali Karunanayake, attorney-at-law Chaminda Kohupitiya was appointed as an assigned counsel as there was no lawyer to appear on behalf of the accused. 
Relating to the same murder incident, a trial had been imitated against three accused before the Colombo High Court earlier but after the prosecution, all three accused had been discharged. However, three years after the incident, the accused had been arrested based on DNA evidence. 

Prosecuted entirely based on DNA evidence by Senior Deputy Solicitor General (SDSG) Lakmali Karunanayake, the court found the accused Neil Lakshman guilty of the murder of a mother and a daughter in Kotakethana in 2012.

According to the evidence, the house where the murders were committed was set on fire to destroy all evidence. Kotakethana area was infamous for a series of mysterious killings done in a similar manner and torching the dead bodies. During the trial, it transpired that the multiple murder was also connected to the first ever ‘serial killer’ reported in Sri Lanka as it revealed that the accused’s DNA tallies with some other murders as well.