Well planned murders

IGHT years after the state witnessed one of its most chilling mass murders, the drama behind the whole episode is gradually unraveling. Finding the sole accused Cadell Jeansen Raja guilty, the Additional Sessions Court Thiruvananthapuram termed the crime "grave, serious, and numbing to the conscience." It observed that the accused, who planned and executed the murders of his parents, sister and relative, does not deserve leniency of a well-functioning legal system.

- Varsha Somaraj @T'Puram

Charged with murder, arson and destruction of evidence, Cadell had tried everything to blur the line between calculated cruelty and supposed delusion. From claiming to be an astral traveller to adopting erratic behaviour in prison, he spun a narrative to confuse, delay and evade. But bit by bit, the mask fell off.

His arrest at Thampanoor railway station on April 10, 2017, came just a day after police found the charred remains of his family. "Why have you brought me here?" he asked officers with unsettling calm. No signs of distress. No signs of remorse.