KLANG: Psychology lecturer S. Karthigesu, who was acquitted of the brutal murder of beauty queen Jean Perera Sinnappa 44 years ago, died this morning.
He breathed his last at his home in Teluk Pulai here at about 8.40am, a local daily reported.
According to the news report, it was learnt that Karthigesu had suffered from a heart ailment and dementia.
A source said his health deteriorated recently and he was admitted to a private hospital for several days before being discharged.
He leaves behind his wife, two daughters and a son.
The gruesome April 6, 1979, murder of Sinnappa was shrouded in mystery and intrigue, continuing to stir interest for decades. It even had documentaries made by local and foreign news sources about the case.
Karthigesu was the brother-in-law of Sinnappa, a 31-year-old woman from Negri Sembilan, well-known in beauty pageants at the time.
The mother of three was widowed at a young age after her chemist husband – Karthigesu's brother – was killed in a road accident in Petaling Jaya.
Sinnappa, who was with him at the time, escaped with light injuries.
Soon after her husband's death, she and her children moved in with her mother-in-law in Klang.
Not long after, Karthigesu, then a 37-year-old bachelor who was also living under the same roof, began courting Sinnappa but things took a sinister twist four months later.
Prior to Sinnappa's death, Karthigesu left home with her and motorists found him lying next to his car in a disorientated state on the Federal Highway near the Subang Airport interchange.
Motorists were stunned to find Sinnappa dead with multiple stab wounds on her chest in the front seat of the vehicle.
Karthigesu claimed he had pulled over to ease himself but was beaten up and fell unconscious.
This did not go down well with the police and Karthigesu was subsequently charged with the murder of Sinnappa.The trial went on for more than a month with close to 60 witnesses testifying at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
Karthigesu was found guilty and sentenced to death.
He was freed two months later after a key witness in the case was found to have committed perjury by giving false testimony.