Shramantha ferociously k!lled Yvonne, initially sentenced to Pr!son for 12 years

 Shramantha ferociously k!lled Yvonne, initially sentenced to Pr!son for 12 years, but court of appeal gives death sentence now President Sirisena considers pardoning him !!

‘The way Yvonne was k!lled was not a sight anybody would want to see. Her face was damaged and missing to the level that she was difficult to be identified. It was in a pool of Blood that she was lying, her head was dashed to the wall several times. The skull was fractured into 64 pieces. Her face was smashed to the cement floor, it was barbaric and she was also strangled with her black stockings'.

The Royal park murder was the biggest talk of the country in 2005, this was a very high profile murder that took place at the Royal park luxury apartment complex, Rajagiriya on 30 June 2005. Yvone Jonsson was brutally killed in the 19th floor of the complex. It was mainly after this incident that the public started to look at International School Students as Crooks and many didn’t like the existence of International Schools. 

Background 

Roger Jonsson was a Swedish national who first trod in to the island nation in 1975 as a tourist. He married Chamlka; a Sri Lankan who was 14 years younger to him. From 1990 he was undyingly residing in Sri Lanka and was operating two BOI rubber manufacturing companies in Piliyandala and Horena. The couple was blessed with two beautiful daughters; Yvonne and Caroline. Living at the luxurious Royal park complex and studying at Colombo International School the two Jonsson girls were living a lavish life. In December 2004 the eldest of the Jonsson’s; 19 year old Yvonne went to USA to follow a fashion designing course while the Younger Jonsson; 17 year old Caroline was still studying at CIS. It was in February 2005 she finally decided to start up an affair with Sharmantha whom she knew since she was 11 years old. Sharmantha came behind Caroline for years but had to wait till February 2005 to date her. Yvonne, the elder sister who was studying in USA was against this relationship and kept on pestering Caroline to stop the affair saying Shramantha was a spoiled brat who was involved in Alcohol and drugs. Their Mother was even kept informed by Yvonne. 

The Incident 

Clubbing was a day to day norm among the rich Colombo society. International School Students; called as the rich spoiled brats would take out their vehicles and ride from one club to another, sip alcohol and do drugs till dawn. 

Yvonne who was studying in USA was back in Lanka for a holiday and on 30th June 2005 she and her sister decided to attend a party and hit the clubs in Colombo. It was 8.30 pm when Yvonne decided to take out their Fathers blue jeep for her final drive. They straight away went to the Bagatale Road in Colombo 3 to pick Caroline’s Boyfriend Shramantha. It’s true that Yvone didn’t like Shramantha but when together all three behaved like good friends. Their first stop was the white horse in Navam Mawatha, after meeting four friends they decided to club at the Glow in Galle face and then travelled to the Blue Elephant at the Hilton. The crowd was too less for them so they decided to head back to the Glow, after meeting a family friend; a Korean girl, they decided to drive back to the Blue Elephant where they only spent about 10 minutes because an dispute befell between Caroline and her boyfriend Shramantha over another boy waving at Caroline. Shramantha was drunk, and it was when Yvonne decided to arbitrate between the couple and she started scolding Shramantha for making her little sister cry. 

Caroline was heartbroken and decided to take a cab from Hilton to the Royal Park with her Boyfriend Shramantha. When the couple arrived at the complex the time was around 2.00 am. Amidst the drama Yvonne decided to stay back and party, with her Korean friend she went back to the Glow and decided to head back home after her Korean friend went back to Taj. It was reported that Yvonne has driven back to the complex around 2.45 am. This was the time the drama started. 

Not knowing anything Caroline decided to sleep and left the door unlocked for her sister to come in leaving a note asking Yvonne to wake her up when she returns. Which never happened, it was her Mother who woke her up in the morning for her to go for classes. She messaged Shramantha and called the Korean girl but didn’t receive any helpful responses. The Mother and the daughter left home around 9.30 am but not seeing her elder daughter made Chamalka depressed so she decided to drive back to the complex only to find a Police jeep at the complex. After a call from one of her friends she got to know that her loving daughter was murdered in the same building. Caroline received a messaged from her Boyfriend saying that he is was going out to an estate with his father and entire day (Friday) he was not contactable. On 2 July 2005 Shrmantha and his Mother turned up at the funeral to pay their respect to Yvonne. At this time he was taken up to the custody by the CID for questioning. 

The way Yvonne was killed was not a sight anybody would want to see. Her face was damaged and missing to the level that she was difficult to be identified. It was in a pool of Blood that she was lying, her head was dashed to the wall several times. The skull was fractured into 64 pieces. It was brutal, only an animal or a person on drugs could have done something of this sort. She was also strangled with her black stockings 

The killing / assumption and findings

The CID believe the suspect had apparently waited outside the apartment until Yvonne returned. Upon her arrival an argument had ensued between the two leading to a scuffle, along the stairs. The first evidence of a scuffle — the price tag on Yvonne’s sunglasses, which had probably fallen off her handbag — was found on the 22nd floor. Her ear-rings, bangles and hand-bag were found scattered along the 21st and 20th floor stairways. Detectives believe that the argument had continued from the 23rd floor right down to the 19th floor, where Yvonne’s bundled up body finally lay at the foot of the staircase. Her own stretch pants had been used to strangle her, investigations have revealed. (Sunday times) Then he contacted his friend Mohamed Rilvan and fled from the murder site. 

The verdict 

The Yvonne Jonsson trial went on for a year and finally came to an end on 28 July 2006 when the accused Shramantha Jayamaha was given 12 years rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court. The Jonsson’s clearly wanted their daughters murderer to receive the death penalty but Shramantha was convicted of culpable homicide not amounting to murder so didn’t receive the death penalty. The Jonsson family was in tears after the judgment was given. According to them 12 years was too lenient on someone who has committed a brutal murder. They wanted justice for the daughter and decided to re appeal 

Re appeal 

For the convicted, Shramantha the 12 years was too much so he decided to appeal against this in the court of appeal which made the Attorney General file a counter-appeal, citing that the sentence was too lenient and requested that the Court of Appeal to grant the death sentence. The court of appeal decided the butcher deserves the death sentence and sentenced him to death which made Jayamaha appeal again at the Supreme Court but the Supreme Court decided to uphold the death sentence given to Jude Jayamaha by the Court of Appeal. Finally Yvonne got justice and on 9 June 2014 Jayamaha was sentenced to death.

However the last person to be hanged was Chandradasa on 1976 June 23rd and since then no one has been executed. The prisoners who were given death penalty had to serve life imprisonment. 

President Maithripala Sirisena to pardon the murderer?

Shramantha Jude Jayamaha is a son of a rich businessmen in Colombo and this was one reason why the Jonsson family decided to leave the country forever, because they feared about the connections the Jayamaha’s had.  President Sirisena is serving his last 20 odd days as the President of Sri Lanka and he stated that before he resign his main aim is to give at least one person the death penalty but now he has decided to pardon a Criminal.  President said that he had received a request for a Presidential pardon for Jude Shramantha Jayamaha and according to Siriena the murder was committed after a loss of patience. Closely monitoring the case it is debatable whether this murder transpired due to a loss of patience or not. 

A loss of patience would have been a firm push by Jude after the exchange of words, but when her head was dashed to the wall several times, when the skull was fractured into 64 pieces, when she was strangled with her stockings and when the face was smashed to the floor numerous times its doesn’t become an act of impatience my dear President  

There are so many prisoners out there who deserve the pardon, but not a rich brat who was 19 in 2005, who was on Alcohol and drugs and who brutally killed a girl of 19. This was not an act of impatience but this was premeditated. Caroline stated ‘My sister’s murder was not someone losing their patience over a disagreement, it was premeditated. He waited for her outside our apartment though he pretended to me he was going home. During this time he arranged with a friend (who would later change his testimony in court to provide the murderer with an alibi) to be collected at a later time. When my sister arrived home he chased her from the 23rd floor, pushed her, strangled her and then smashed her skull on the cement floor. She was found on the 19th floor. He had the chance to walk away and to stop but he didn’t.’

How can you think of giving him pardon after 13 years just because he has done a PhD while in Prison and he has reformed? Is it the money and the influence talking?

As far as I know, anyone who is sentenced to death will automatically receive life imprisonment if the execution is not in process or the President can pardon the convicted and give life imprisonment which later due to good discipline and behavior the punishment can be brought down to 20 years. In this case Sharmantha has been in the jail for only 13 odd years. 

Maybe he has reformed, maybe he is a doctor now but will that do any justice to Yvonne who was brutally murdered by a teen who was under the influence of Alcohol and drugs?