Court Upholds Death Sentence For Kevin Morais' Murderer. Here's A Recap Of The Case

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The Federal Court has upheld the death sentence of Colonel (Rtd) Dr R Kunaseegaran for the murder of deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais, which took place 10 years ago

In a judgment delivered today, 1 July, a three-judge panel led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat unanimously upheld the sentence after the 62-year-old former military doctor's lawyer informed the court that he wished to withdraw his appeal and proceed with the execution of the sentence, reported the New Straits Times.

Two other appellants, S Nimalan, 32, and S Ravi Chandra, 54, were sentenced to 35 and 40 years in jail, respectively, for committing the offence.

Nimalan will receive 12 strokes of the cane, while Ravi was exempted from whipping due to his age of over 50.

Three other appellants, R Dinishwaran, AK Thinesh Kumar, and M Vishwanath, were acquitted after the court found that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case due to a lack of sufficient evidence.

Below is a recap of the gruesome murder case that shocked the nation a decade ago

Morais was reported missing by his brother on 16 September 2015.

Citing court documents, NST reported that Morais was abducted by several men following a minor accident on Jalan Dutamas Raya in Kuala Lumpur before he was taken to No. 1, Jalan USJ1/6D, Subang Jaya on 4 September.

When he was discovered, his body was fully clothed but missing shoes. His hands were tied behind his back, and seven pressure marks were found on the chest, shoulders, and back.

His body was placed in a sack in a fetal position before being put into a barrel drum, which was then filled with cement.

Morais' Proton Perdana was later found burnt in Hutan Melintang, Perak.

When news of the murder surfaced, speculation and conspiracy theories linked it to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. He vehemently denied his involvement.

The case was also featured in the Netflix documentary Man on the Run, which explores the 1MDB financial scandal.

However, it was later revealed in court proceedings that Kunaseegaran, an army pathologist, had ordered six others to murder Morais

The motive was linked to the emotional and financial strain Kunaseegaran experienced after Morais served as the prosecuting officer in corruption cases against him.

As a result of the prosecution, Kunaseegaran was required to post RM20,000 bail, had about RM380,000 in cash frozen, and had to cover legal fees.

In January 2020, the High Court sentenced all the accused to hanging. The Court of Appeal upheld the verdict in March last year.

Today, the Federal Court affirmed both Kunaseegaran's conviction and sentence.