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Friends grilled over teenager’s death
By Marisa de Silva and Mahangu Weerasinghe
A Korean girl and a local boy have been questioned over the murder of a 19-year-old fashion design student on Friday inside a luxury apartment complex in Greater Colombo, Police Chief Chandra Fernando told The Sunday Times.
A special CID team has been assigned to carry out investigations into the killing of Yvonne Johansson early on Friday after she returned from a late night party.

IGP Fernando said the statement of the Korean girl living in the same apartment had been recorded on Friday. He said the victim’s body was found on the 19th floor, but there is evidence to suggest that there had been a struggle on the 20th floor where the victim’s earrings were found.
CID Chief Lionel Gunatilleke said last night the male friend was being interrogated but no arrest had been made.

Yvonne lived with her father Roger who is a Swedish national, her Sri Lankan mother Chamalika and her younger sister on the 23rd floor. The post-mortem was carried out yesterday by Judicial Medical Officer Dr. M.T.A.B. Abeysinghe and The Sunday Times learns the report indicates that there was no rape.
Detectives said the Yvonne had left the complex around 8.30 p.m. on Thursday with her younger sister and the male friend for a party at the Taj Hotel night club.

The party was hosted by the past pupils of the Colombo International School of which Yvonne and the Korean girl were past pupils. Thereafter, Yvonne, her sister and the male friend had visited other night clubs. The sister and her male friend left around 11 p.m. but Yvonne stayed on and it was around 2. 50 a.m. that she returned to her Royal Park apartment.

Earlier, police detectives said the killer might have strangled Yvonne with her own denim trousers, which were found inside out and twisted around her neck with the trousers’ folds stuck at the girl’s feet area.

A CID detective said last night that investigations so far indicated the cause of death was strangulation and there was no sign of rape. Detectives said evidence indicated Yvonne had returned alone and taken the elevator to her 23rd floor apartment.

Her body was found on the stairway of the 19th floor with her face disfigured but police are not sure whether it was due to an attack or due to a fall while being chased by the killer.

Her body was found around 9 a.m. by a cleaning woman who informed Royal Park security officers and the police were then called in. The victim’s father Roger Johansson, who works for Electrometric Technologies (Pvt) Ltd, was present at the inquiry but did not say anything.

Yvonne had been studying fashion designing in the United States and had come back to Sri Lanka for the summer vacation. The party on Thursday was her first night out here.

According to the security arrangements at the Royal Park, outsiders are not allowed to enter the condominium, unless they have permission from the occupants. Entering the fire escape from outside was not possible as the doors do not open inward and only exit is possible.

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