Man, wife sentenced to life for murder in Mangaluru

The couple were charged with chopping body into parts and disposing them off in different parts of Mangaluru in 2019

A Mangaluru court on Tuesday sentenced to life a 35-year-old man from Valencia and his wife on finding them guilty of murdering a 37-year-old woman in the city five years ago. The couple were charged with chopping the woman’s body into parts and disposing them off in different parts of the city.

First Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mangaluru, H.S. Mallikarjuna Swamy convicted Jhonas Samson alias Jhonas Joilin Samson and his wife Victoria Mathias for murdering Srimati Shetty in the former’s house at Sooterpet 9th Cross Road on May 11, 2019.

The court asked them to pay a fine of ₹25,000 each for the offence punishable under Section 302 of IPC. If they failed to pay fine, the couple shall undergo simple imprisonment of one year. The couple were sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹5,000 each for the offence punishable under Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of IPC. They were also sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹5,000 each for the offence punishable under section 392 (robbery) of IPC. All sentences will run concurrently, the court ruled.

The court also convicted Raju, to whom the couple had sold the gold ornaments of Srimati. He was sentenced to undergo simple imprisonment of six-and-a-half months and pay a fine of ₹5,000 for the offence punishable under Section 414 of IPC (assisting in concealment, disposal and removal of stolen property). As he had already served the sentence, Raju was entitled for release, the judge said.

According to the chargesheet, Srimati was into chit fund business. She had an argument with Samson in the latter’s house on the day of murder. Samson hit Srimati with a heavy stick that resulted in her death. Samson and his wife chopped the body into pieces and put them in different bags. The bags were disposed off near a petrol bunk in KPT, near the compound wall of SC/ST hostel in Paduva and near Koti Chennayya Circle.

The judge ordered ₹75,000 of the total fine amount to be paid as compensation to Shantha Shetty, Srimati’s mother.

Published - September 24, 2024 08:18 pm IST