A sessions court in Neyattinkara in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district on Monday handed death sentence to 23-year old woman, Greeshma for poisoning his boy friend, Sharon Raj in 2022. Greeshma was in a relationship with Sharon.

Greeshma’s uncle, Nirmal Kumar, was given a sentence of three years’ rigorous imprisonment for his role as accomplice, and destroying evidence. Her mother, Sindhu, however, was acquitted by the court. The court, which found 24-year-old Greeshma guilty of murder on Friday (January 17), reserved the sentencing for today (January 20).

According to the prosecution, Kanyakumari-resident Greeshma and Sharon, from Parassala in Thiruvananthapuram, had been friends since 2021. She was a postgraduate student of English and he was in his undergraduate final year at that time. His maternal uncle Nirmalakumaran Nair, was charged for abetting the crime. He was awarded jail term of three years. The court had last week acquitted Greeshma’s mother Sindhu.

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Sharon Raj, a resident of Parassala in the suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram, died of multiple organ failure on October 25, 2022. The subsequent inquiry into his death revealed a chilling crime: Sharon had been poisoned by his girlfriend, Greeshma. According to the police, Greeshma carried out the act because Sharon refused to end their relationship.

Investigations uncovered that on October 14, Greeshma had lured Sharon to her home in Ramavarmanchirai, located in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district. She served him a poison-laced Ayurvedic drink with the intent of killing him. Greeshma reportedly resorted to this heinous act because her parents had arranged her marriage to another man.

Shortly after leaving Greeshma’s house, Sharon began exhibiting signs of poisoning, including severe vomiting. His parents even called Greeshma, seeking information on what she had served him, hoping to aid in his treatment. Despite efforts, 23-year-old Sharon succumbed to multiple organ failure while undergoing treatment at the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. Before his death, Sharon confided in a friend, expressing suspicion that Greeshma had poisoned him and accusing her of betrayal.

Following Sharon’s death, his family lodged a police complaint, leading to Greeshma’s arrest on October 31. Her mother and uncle were also arrested on charges of abetting the crime and tampering with evidence.

During police questioning, Greeshma admitted to planning the murder. She claimed she wanted to end her relationship with Sharon and feared he might share intimate visuals of their time together with her future husband. This fear, she alleged, drove her to poison Sharon.

Greeshma was granted bail nearly a year later, in September 2023, but the case remains a harrowing tale of betrayal and premeditated murder.