Kerala court sentences man to life imprisonment in murder case
May 30, 2020
Kochi (Kerala) [India], [India], May 30 : A Kerala court in Ernakulam district on Saturday sentenced to life imprisonment an alleged serial killer in connection with a four-year-old murder case.
Additional Sessions Judge K Bijumenon sentenced Panicker Kunjumon alias Ripper Xavier to life imprisonment for killing one of his friends by hitting him with a heavy stone while he was sleeping over a private dispute.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Kunjumon, Rs 75,000 of which will be given to the wife of the victim as compensation.
According to the charge-sheet, Kunjumon murdered his friend Unnikrishnan on March 9, 2016, by hitting him with a heavy stone following a dispute with him while drinking.
However, before Unnikrishnan died during treatment at a hospital, he revealed to a relative that Kunjumon had tried to kill him. The court considered this as a testimony against Kunjumon.
Kerala Police had earlier alleged that Kunjumon is a serial killer, who kills his victims by hitting them with heavy stones on their heads. In 2016, the police had named him as accused in nine murders cases, including the murder of Unnikrishnan, that took place since 2007.
However, Kunjumon was acquitted in eight other cases.
