Divya 
One summer night… when the whole city was sleeping peacefully, a horrific story was being created inside a house, which shook the whole city. In that quiet colony of Nanthancode, where the day usually started with sips of tea and laughter of children, there was only the smell of smoke and the sound of police sirens on the morning of 6 April 2017. This was the same morning when India saw the truth of a family murder, which not only crossed the limits of brutality but also raised questions on humanity. Yes, we are talking about the Nanthancode family murder case.
28-year-old Cadell Jeanson Raja, an educated but mentally challenged man, has now been convicted by a court for the brutal murder of four people. The incident dates back to April 2017, when a foul smell emanated from the Raja family’s house in Nanthancode. When the police arrived at the scene, the scene was horrifying. Four bodies, three of which were burnt and one decayed, were lying in different parts of the house. The deceased were Cadell’s mother, Jean Padma; father, Raja Thangam; sister, Caroline; and blind aunt, Lalitha. Initially, it seemed like an accident, but forensic investigation soon made it clear that it was a premeditated murder. Surprisingly, the killer was none other than the son of the house, Cadell.
The police said that Cadell had planned the murders very carefully. He had disconnected the CCTV cameras of the house. Then he attacked his family members separately and killed his parents, sister, and aunt. 22 wounds were found on Lalita’s body, 12 on Caroline’s body, 9 on the mother’s body, and 7 deep wounds on the father’s head. Police said that Cadell had trained himself on dummy dolls for months before the murders. He had ordered weapons online. Not only this, he also bought an axe after watching a video game, which was similar to the weapon shown in the game. After the murder, he tried to burn their bodies. Then he fled to Chennai, from where he was arrested a few days later at Thiruvananthapuram railway station.
After his arrest, Cadell told the police that he had committed these murders through ‘astral projection’ (at the behest of the spirit). When he did not understand anything, he said that he could talk to spirits and had been training for it for years. However, the police and experts rejected this claim and said that Cadell had been harboring a grudge against his parents for years. Cadell’s mental state was an important aspect in this case. In a medical evaluation in 2017, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, after which he was sent to a psychiatric facility for treatment. However, the prosecution argued that the murders were committed with complete planning and deliberately.
Police found a diary in Cadell’s room, in which his thoughts were written. Investigating officers believe that this diary became the blueprint for his murders. 41 witnesses gave statements in this case, which included forensic experts, investigating officers, neighbors, and friends. These witnesses revealed many shocking secrets about Cadell. Now, on Monday, the court found him guilty under the charges of murder, destroying evidence, illegal confinement, setting fire with petrol, and using deadly weapons. The sentence will be announced on Tuesday.
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