Seya Sadewmi’s murderer gets death sentence

Saman Jayalath, the main accused in the rape and murder of five-year-old Seya Sadewmi of Kotadeniyawa, was today sentenced to death by the Negombo High Court.

Delivering the verdict, Negombo High Court Judge Champa Janaki Rajaratne gave the death sentence to the chief suspect.

Seya Sadewmi was found sexually abused and strangled to death on September 13, 2015 while she was reported missing from her home at Kotadeniyawa in Divulapitiya the previous day.

Kotadeniyawa Police had launched an investigation into the murder, however it was later handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), amidst public outcry.

The high-profile case, which gained much media and public attention, saw several suspects being initially arrested in connection with the murder.

However, DNA evidence eventually linked Saman Jayalath directly to the crime.

Seya Sadewmi was found murdered in September, last year. A post-mortem examination confirmed that the victim had also been sexually assaulted prior to the murder.