Five sentenced to death in 2001 murder case

The Gampaha High Court yesterday (17) sentenced five individuals to death over the brutal killing of an unmarried man and the attempted murder of three others in the Welagedara area 25 years ago. The court found that the group had broken into a house in Diyakawita, Welagedara, on the night of October 31, 2001, or a nearby date, and attacked the residents with stones, clubs, and swords. The assault left one man dead and three others seriously injured. Delivering judgment, High Court Judge Rashmi Singappuli ruled that the father, mother, their two children, and another accomplice were guilty of murder and grievous assault, imposing the death penalty on all five. (Newswire)