PUTRAJAYA – The Federal Court today upheld the death sentence for former military pathologist Colonel Dr R Kunaseegaran over the 2015 murder of deputy public prosecutor Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais, whose body was found encased in concrete in a drum.
In delivering her final judgment before stepping down, outgoing Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat led a three-judge panel that also commuted the death sentences of two other individuals to lengthy prison terms, while acquitting three others, local media reported.
Moneylender S Ravi Chandaran, 54, was sentenced to 40 years in prison, while 32-year-old S Nimalan received a 35-year jail term and 12 strokes of the rotan. However, the court later exempted Nimalan from caning due to his age.
At the same time, the court ordered the immediate release of R Dinishwaran, 33, A K Thinesh Kumar, 32, and M Vishwanath, 35, ruling that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against them.
All six men had previously appealed against their convictions and mandatory death sentences imposed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court, which were later upheld by the Court of Appeal in March last year.
The appellate court at the time said the murder was meticulously planned and described the condition of the body as evidence of extreme brutality.
The charge was framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code read with Section 34, which mandates the death penalty upon conviction.
Kevin Morais was last seen on September 4, 2015, leaving his residence in Menara Duta, Kuala Lumpur, in a Proton Perdana en route to his office at the Attorney-General’s Chambers in Putrajaya. His remains were recovered nearly two weeks later, on September 16, in a concrete-filled drum in Subang Jaya.
The murder was believed to have taken place at locations along Jalan Dutamas Raya, Sentul, and Jalan USJ 1/6D, Subang Jaya, between 7am and 8pm on the day of his disappearance. – July 1, 2025