PETALING JAYA: Former psychology lecturer S. Karthigesu, who was acquitted of the murder of former Malaysian beauty queen Jean Perera Sinnappa 44 years ago, died yesterday at 8.40am. He was 81.
Karthigesu spent his last days at his home in Teluk Pulai, Klang and was reported to have suffered from a heart ailment and dementia.
His health was said to have deteriorated recently and he was admitted to a ward at a private hospital for several days before being discharged. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
Karthigesu was the prime suspect in the murder of Jean, and the case was widely covered by the media.
Two Malaysia Airlines aircraft engineers found the body of the 31-year-old victim on April 6, 1979 with stab wounds on her chest while still strapped to the seat of a car.
The vehicle was found at a secluded underpass along the Federal Highway, near what is now the Skypark Terminal at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport.
Karthigesu, then aged 37, was the driver and was found lying face down unconscious on the ground next to the car. He was Jean’s brother-in-law and also her alleged lover at the time.
He claimed in his testimony that he had to make a stop on the side of the road to relieve himself, but was hit on the head from behind and could not recall what happened after that.
When police investigated the crime scene, they noticed that Karthigesu sustained no injuries and forensics failed to discover any traces of urine in the area.
He was arrested a few weeks after the investigations and subsequently charged at the High Court, where the trial ran for 38 days with 58 witnesses called.
Details of disloyalty in an affair Jean allegedly had with a Sri Lankan doctor were exposed through a large heap of love letters the duo had exchanged.
Jealousy as a result of a love triangle was speculated to be the prime motive behind the murder. The court found Karthigesu guilty and sentenced him to death.
A close family friend, Bandhulanda Jayathilake, became a key witness when he testified that Karthigesu had confided in him that she deserved to die.
However, after Karthigesu had spent two years in prison, Jayathilake confessed that he had lied under oath and his testimony was false. Jayathilake was then charged with perjury and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, but died two years into serving his sentence.
On May 20, 1981, Karthigesu was vindicated and stepped out of prison a free man.
The case remains unsolved, with close to no new evidence and leads. It remains one of the most perplexing murder cases in Malaysian history and Karthigesu’s death has not brought any closure to the mysterious affair.
