Karthigesu is mobbed by well-wishers after his acquittal on May 30, 1981. – The Star/YEONG CHEONG
KLANG: Former psychology lecturer S. Karthigesu, who was acquitted of the brutal murder of beauty queen Jean Perera Sinnappa 44 years ago, passed away on Sunday (Aug 27).
He breathed his last at his home in Teluk Pulai here at about 8.40am after a short illness. It is learnt that he suffered from a heart ailment and dementia.
A family friend said his health took a turn for the worse recently and he was warded in a private hospital for several days before being discharged.
Karthigesu, 81, leaves behind his wife, two daughters and a son.
His close friend and neighbour, Serjeet Singh, said Karthigesu was a soft-spoken man, had a great sense of humour and always went the extra mile to help his friends.
"He was my mentor and I often sought his views on matters related to sports, especially hockey and rugby. He always motivated the young and had good psychological skills.
“It is because of his constant motivation that my daughter became a doctor. I will really miss him," said the former international hockey umpire.
Met at their home here, Karthigesu's family members declined to be interviewed and requested privacy to grieve.
It is learnt that after being acquitted of the murder of Jean Perera, the lecturer returned to teaching at a college in Kuala Selangor and other higher learning institutions, until he went into retirement about six years ago.
The gruesome April 6, 1979 murder was surrounded by mystery and intrigue.
It continued to stir interest for decades, and even had documentaries made by local and foreign news sources about the case.
Karthigesu was the brother-in-law of Jean Perera, a 31-year-old woman from Negri Sembilan, who was well-known in beauty pageants at the time.
The mother of three was widowed at a young age after her chemist husband – Karthigesu's brother – was killed in a road accident in Petaling Jaya.
Jean Perera, who was with him at the time, escaped with light injuries.
Soon after losing her husband, she and her children moved in with her mother-in-law in Klang.
Not long after, Karthigesu, then a 37-year-old bachelor who was also living under the same roof, began courting her but things took a sinister twist four months later.
One fateful day, Karthigesu left home with Jean Perera before motorists later found him lying next to his car in a disorientated state on the Federal Highway near the Subang Airport interchange.
Motorists were stunned to find Jean Perera dead with multiple stab wounds on her chest in the front seat of the vehicle.
Karthigesu claimed he had pulled over to ease himself but was beaten up and fell unconscious.
His claims did not go down well with the police and Karthigesu was charged with her murder.
The murder trial went on for more than a month with close to 60 witnesses testifying at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
Karthigesu was subsequently found guilty and sentenced to death.
However, two months later, he was freed after a key witness in the case was found to have committed perjury for giving false testimony.
