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Lasantha’s alleged self-confessed killer committed suicide: Postmortem
View(s):By Chris Kamalendran
The Judicial Medical investigation into the death of retired Army Sergeant Major Edirisinghe Jayamanne has ruled out foul play.
Sgt Maj Jayamanne, 52, was found dead at his home in Kegalle on Friday, along with a note, allegedly confessing to the murder of former the Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge.
An initial report on the postmortem examination performed by Dr R. Alagiyawanna on Friday, confirmed that, the deceased exhibited no external injuries to suggest foul play and that, he had committed suicide by hanging himself.
The note claimed it was he who killed Mr. Wickrematunge and Intelligence officer Premananda Udalagama who is in remand, was innocent.
On Friday, the deceased had called a trishaw driver at 8.21 am, and told him to come in 10 minutes. The driver, on reaching the house found the deceased’s body hanging in the kitchen. He had immediately called Police Emergency on 119.
A neighbour told the inquest conducted by Coroner K. Rupasinghei, found that, the deceased had complained that he may be implicated in Mr Wickrematunge’s murder.
Sgt Maj Jayamanne was a father of three. His wife has been working at a school in Saudi Arabia for several years. He had been living with his three sons at their house in Kegalle, and was employed as a security guard at a private firm.
At the inquest, the deceased’s eldest son, Asitha Lakmal Jayamanne (21) stated that his father had been one of those arrested in a police raid on the Military Intelligence safe house at Millennium City in Athurugiriya. He had subsequently been acquitted.
He said his father left for Colombo on October 11 and returned on the night of October 13. He had made arrangements for his second son to take part in a sports tournament in India.
He had committed suicide on the morning after his return from Colombo, before which, he had dropped off his second son at his school. The son had left for India for the tournament yesterday.