Court awards death sentence to Rajendran in Vineetha murder case

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The court has awarded death sentence to the accused for stabbing to death Vineetha, an employee of an ornamental plant shop in Peroorkada. The accused is Rajendran of Rajeev Nagar in Kanyakumari Thovala Vellamadom. The court had found him guilty on April 10. The case was considered by Seventh Additional district sessions court judge Prasoon Mohan.

The prosecution argued that the accused' crime was the rarest of rare. The court had ordered the district collector, psychologist, prison superintendents of Thiruvananthapuram and Tamil Nadu, probationary officers of Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram districts, city police commissioner and revenue department to submit a report.

The court found the accused guilty of murder, murder during robbery, wrongful entry and destruction of evidence. The accused had committed three similar murders in Tamil Nadu and was out on bail when he killed Vineetha. Prosecutor M Salahuddin demanded death penalty for the accused, who commits robbery for money, resort to killing those who oppose him. The accused who had come to buy a plant killed Vineetha for her gold chain of four sovereigns on February 6, 2022 at 11.50 am.

The seven reports requested by the court, including information on the defendant's social background and potential for conversion, mental state, potential for repentance, behavior towards fellow prisoners in prison, lifestyle, actions required if repentance is possible, past criminal acts, and information on the defendant's assets and liabilities, were also submitted in the court.