Kollam Additional Sessions Court-IV sentenced Edward, the accused, for killing his wife and two children by injecting them with poison. He was sentenced to three life terms and a fine of Rs 6 lakh. The court ordered that it was enough to serve the punishment together. The accused in the case is Edward alias Aji of Mundrothuruth Peringalam.
The incident related to the case took place in May 2021. Edward poisoned his wife Varsha and their two-year-old Alan and three-month-old son Aarav at their home in Kundara Keralapuram. He spared only the couple’s five-year-old daughter. The statement of this girl who witnessed the incident was crucial.
Edward committed the murders after suspecting his wife of having an extramarital affair. The murderer, who was a medical shop employee, injected his wife and children with muscle relaxation medicine administered to patients before anaesthesia. The drug was stolen from the store without the knowledge of the shop owner.
After murdering his wife and children, the accused was lying on the ground pretending to have injected himself with the same medicine. However, after the medical examination, it was found that there was no trace of medicine in his body, and the murder unfolded. The accused also pleaded guilty.
The eldest daughter, who was five years old, had not been injected. Edward stated that she would have survived on her own, and that is why he did not kill her.
Edward committed the crime around 4.30 pm on 11 May 2021. He was arrested on 18 May, and Kundara police registered a case for the offences punishable under sections for voluntarily causing harm by administering poison and murder.
While applying for bail in August 2022, Edward’s counsel claimed that the case revolved around the singular testimony of a child witness, and the possibility of a conviction was very remote.
The Public Prosecutor opposed the grant of bail because the child clearly stated her father’s involvement in the crime. If Edward was granted bail, he could easily influence or intimidate the witness, so the bail application was dismissed.
Fifty-eight witnesses were examined, and 89 documents were produced as evidence. The mother of the deceased girl, Varsha, said that she was satisfied with the sentence handed down by the court but had expected the death penalty.
